The Preacher's Daughter
by Melivia
Summary: Life isn't always great being a Preacher's daughter.
1. Chapter 1

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

This is a story I've wanted to write for several months. Hope you enjoy it.

"**The Preacher's Daughter" – CHP1**

Melinda Jarreau is a New York Medical Examiner. Her father is a prominent figure in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she was born and raised. He's a District Judge and Baptist Preacher. Her mother has a law firm and is a district missionary in Baton Rouge. She has an older brother who's been ordained as a minister in her father's church and her younger sister married the executive pastor in her father's church. Melinda wanted to get away from the South. She didn't want anything to do with Baton Rouge or Louisiana. So, when time came for her to choose a college, she chose Yale. After Medical School there was no doubt in her mind that she was staying up North. She loved the bright lights at night in New York and she had met this one Police Officer at a club one night, she's been seeing. So, New York is where she decided to settle. It's been three years since she moved to New York. She's now in a committed relationship with Officer Olivia Benson, who had moved in with Melinda. Her relationship with Olivia is exciting, fun and strong. She also has a good relationship with Olivia's mother, Serena, who adores Melinda.

"_Gather around everyone"_ Captain Johnson said to the squad. _"I have an important announcement to make. Officer Benson, would you step forward please_?" Olivia step out from her colleagues and stands next to the Captain._ "I'd like to recognize an officer, who's gone above and beyond her line of duty. For the past five years she's epitomized what it is to be an Police Officer and her performance is worthy of emulation. Without further ado, you, Officer Benson is promoted to Detective"_ he said, as he gave her the golden badge and shook her hand, congratulating her.

Olivia was shocked. She had no idea, she was getting promoted. _"Sir, I…I don't know what to say."_

"_You don't need to say anything, Detective. Your performance speaks for itself. Now, as much as I want to keep you here, I can't. They need a strong Detective over at the 1/6__th__ and you're the one for the job" _the Captain told her.

"_But Sir, the 1/6__th__ is Special Victims. I'm not trained to handle that kind of work."_

"_Benson, I believe you can do it. Now, I don't want to hear another word out of you. Go clean your desk out and report to Captain Don Cragen at the 1/6__th__ no later than fifteen hundred hours today" _

"_Yes Sir…Oh, and Sir"_

"_What is it Benson?"_

"_I'm going to miss you too" _she tells him.

Olivia cleaned out her desk and headed over to the 1/6th Precinct. She entered the double doors on the second floor and looked around for the Captain's office. _"Can I help you?" _a voice said. She turned to her right and saw a guy with a pony tail standing there in a suit and tie.

"_Yeah, umm…I'm looking for Captain Cragen's office"_ she tells him.

"_Oh, you must be the new Detective. I'm Detective Odafin Tutuola, but you can call me, Fin" _he tells her. _"The Captain's office is straight ahead." _

"_Thanks"_ Olivia says and walks towards Cragen's Office. She knocks on the door.

"_Enter"_ the masculine voice said.

"_Captain Cragen"_

"_Yes"_

"_I'm Detective Benson"_

"_Come in, I've been expecting you." _

Olivia took a seat in front of the Captain's desk. He told her the history of the 1/6th and how working Special Victims is a very emotional job. After an hour with Captain Cragen, he took her to her desk and introduced her to her new partner, Detective Stabler. She got introduced to the whole squad and soon after went out of a call with Elliot. Olivia got her first taste of the Special Victims Unit, when she and Elliot went to a crime scene, where a twenty-two year old female was raped and murdered.

Later that night Olivia came home around 8pm. _"Liv, is that you?"_ asked her lover as she entered the apartment.

"_Yeah Mel, it's me" _

"_What's wrong?"_ Melinda said, as she came from the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her. _"I can tell there's something bothering you."_

"_I got promoted to Detective today"_ she said and flopped down on the couch.

"_Baby, that's great. Why the long face?"_ she said, sitting down next to Olivia.

"_I was transferred to the 1/6__th__, Special Victims Unit" _

"_I work with the 1/6__th__"_ Melinda tells her. _"This is good; I'll get to see you more often."_

"_Mel, I went out on a call today with my new partner, Detective Stabler and I seeing that twenty-two year old, raped and murdered…It just…I don't know if I can do this job"_

"_Baby, it's your first day. Special Victims will take a lot out of you but if anyone can do it, I know you can" _Melinda tells her.

"_Thanks Babe"_

"_Are you hungry" _Melinda asked.

"_Yeah, for you"_ Olivia says and starts to kiss Melinda.

Melinda and Olivia began to make love on the couch and was interrupt by the ringing on Melinda's cell phone. _"Go ahead and answer it"_ Olivia tells her.

"_Hello"_

"_Pumpkin"_ the voice said from the other end of the voice.

"_Mom, how are you? Umm, yeah…when... tomorrow…well, mom…I…I…Okay, I'll see you tomorrow"_ she says and ends the call. _"Damn!"_

Olivia sits up. _"What is it?"_

"_My parents are coming tomorrow"_

"_So, what you're trying to tell me is, I need to find a hotel until they leave_?" says Olivia.

"_Liv, please, don't start"_

"_When are you going to come out to your family? Are you ashamed of me?" _

"_Liv, you know, I'm not ashamed of you. My family is a very spiritual family with deep ties to the community. They live and breathe the Bible. My father is a …."_

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah…I've heard it all before. Your family is a prominent figure in Louisiana"_ Olivia says, interrupting Melinda. "_So what are you supposed to do, Mel…live in the closet your whole life?"_

"_Liv, you don't know how it feels to be raised in the church. I'm the Preacher's daughter, for heaven's sake."_

"_And my mother is a college professor" _says Olivia.

"_That's different, Liv. You see, the church is the one thing we, African-Americans, hold near and dear to us. The church to us is the only thing that keeps the community together. My father is head of the largest Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. My whole family is into the church and I just…you know, coming out would just…"_

"_What embarrass the family…ruin your relationship with them, huh? Are you afraid they'll disown you?_ _Mel, your parents visits you every year and I'm the one who's stuck in a hotel room until they leave. So, the question is, are you going to come out to them or do you want me to make reservations for a room?"_


	2. Chapter 2

"**CHP 2"**

Melinda sits there and doesn't say a word. _"You don't have to answer, I'll pack my things"_ Olivia tells her then gets up from the couch and goes into the bedroom.

"_Liv…wait" _Melinda gets up and goes in the bedroom where Olivia is.

"_Mel, look…"_ Olivia says, as she packs up her things. _"I love you and there's nothing I wouldn't do for you but this is getting old"._

"_I know, but…" _Melinda goes to explain.

"_But nothing"_ Olivia interrupts "_You know my family and all friends; they love you as much as they love me. I believe Serena loves you more than she loves me."_

"_Liv, you know all of my friends"_

"_What about your family, Mel? Your parents think we're best of friends and I haven't met your sister or your brother or any other member of your family._

"_It's going to take some time, baby. I'm going to tell them…just, not right now"_ Melinda tells her.

"_Well, when you do, let me know"_ Olivia says as she zips the duffle bag.

Melinda walks over to Olivia and takes a hold of Olivia's hand and they both sit down on the bed together. _"Liv, I love you and I'm asking you to give me a little more time. This isn't the right time."_

"_Mel, when is it going to be the right time?"_

"_Well, I thought about it and I plan on telling them in three weeks" _Melinda tells her.

"_Three weeks"_ Olivia echoed with curiosity.

"_The family reunion is in three weeks and I thought, I'd tell them the night before I fly back to New York"_ Melinda says and sighs afterwards. _"Liv, you're right. I can't go on hiding this from them. It's just…it's scary, because, I don't know how they're going to react"._

"_I know, baby"_ Olivia says.

"_No, you don't know how scary it is"_ Melinda tells her. _"You see, my sister is stuck in a marriage she never wanted. She got pregnant and instead of being a disappointment to dad, she and Willie Lee got married"_

"_Baby, I'm sorry… I'm being selfish"_ Olivia tells her. _"I don't want to be the cause of your family disowning you"._

"_No, no…you've been right all along. It's time to tell them_" Melinda says. _"Liv"_

"_Yeah baby"_

"_Could you hold me tonight?"_

"_I'd love to hold you"_ Olivia tells her.

The next morning Melinda is awaken to the smell of bacon. Olivia enters the room with a tray in her hand. _"Good morning"_

"_Good morning"_ replied Melinda.

"_I decided to cook you breakfast this morning"_

"_Aww Liv, you're so sweet"_

"_I know"_ Olivia replied sarcastically.

Melinda sits up in the bed and Olivia places the tray on her lap. _"Mmm"_ Melinda moans as she chews a piece of bacon. "You want a piece" she asked.

"_Sure"_ says Olivia.

"_Here you go_" she says as she picks up a piece of bacon and hands it to Olivia. _"Psych"_ she says as Olivia reached for it.

"_Mel"_

"_Okay, I was just playing. Here you go_" Melinda says. Olivia reached for the bacon again. _"Psych again"_ she says.

"_Mel_" Olivia says. She then takes the tray from Melinda and places it on the night stand.

"_Babe, what are you doing?"_ asked Melinda.

"_This_" Olivia replied as she leans forward and kisses Melinda.

"_I've got food in my mouth"_

"_I know"_ Olivia replied as she continued kissing Melinda. A few minutes later, they were making love. The two women later fall asleep.

Melinda cell phone rings. _"Hello"_

"_Pumpkin"_

Melinda looks at the clock on the nightstand "_Holy crap"_ she says. _"Mom, I'll be there in twenty minutes"._ She then ends the call. _"Liv"_ she says, as she gives Olivia a nudge. _"Wake up. My parents just landed."_

"_Okay, I'm up"_ Olivia says.

Melinda went to the bathroom and hopped in the shower, Olivia came in a minute later. _"Liv, no hanky panky, I've got to pick my parents up"_

"_Okay"_

Ten minutes later they were out the shower and putting on their clothes. Olivia grabbed her duffle bag_, "I love you and I'm going to miss you"_ she tells Melinda.

"_This is going to be a long four days"_ Melinda says as she puts her arms around Olivia. _"Thanks understanding baby. I love you too and I'm going to miss you too" she then kisses Olivia passionately. _

They leave the apartment and Olivia heads for the hotel, while Melinda goes to the airport. Melinda sees her parents standing there with their luggage. She blows the horn as she approaches them, to get their attention. _"Mom…dad"_ she says as she exits the car and gives them a hug.

"_Pumpkin"_ her mother says.

"_How's my baby doing?"_ her father asked.

"_I'm good"_ Melinda replied.

"_Well, you look good"_ her father says.

"_You do look good and you're glowing too_" her mother says.

"_Maybe she's finally found Mr. Right"_ her father says.

"_Nope, not Mr. Right_" she says to father.

"_What do you mean by that?"_ he replied.

"_Oh Carlton, leave her alone. The right one will come along someday_" her mother says. _"Lets put these bags in the car."_

Melinda helped her parents put the luggage in the trunk and they leave the airport and goes to her apartment. _"Mom… you and dad can have my bedroom. It's much bigger than the second room."_

"_Thanks baby"_ her dad says as he takes the luggage into the bedroom.

"_So, what brings you to New York?"_

Juanita takes a seat on the couch before answering. _"Well, your father and I had some free time and we decided to get away from all the noise back home in Baton Rouge."_

"_And you decided to come to New York?"_

Juanita laughs. _"I know New York is the city that never sleeps but we came here to see you. Oh honey, I miss you so much. Have you thought about moving back home…you know, close to family?"_

"_Mom, that's not going to happen"_

"_Why not?"_

"_I love it here, mom. I love the bright lights, the city, my job, my friends and…."_ Melinda's cell phone rings.

"_Who's that?"_ her mother asked.

"_Olivia"_ Melinda replied. _"I don't have to get it now"_

"_No, no…you go right along and answer it. Tell Olivia I said, hello and for her to join us for dinner tonight. I'm going to make gumbo. I'm going to lie down now, it was a long flight"_ Juanita says, then gets up and goes into the bedroom.

Melinda answers the phone. _"Hey baby" _she whispers in the phone. _"I miss you already"_

"_I miss you too"_ Olivia replied. _"I just wanted to hear your voice. Detective Stabler had to go to his kid's school, so I'm with Detective Tutuola today. We finally got an ID on the victim and we're enroute to her parents' home. So, how are your parents?"_

"_Don't get me started"_ Melinda says as she leans back on the couch. _"Daddy already asked if I had a man in my life and mom…well, you know…she still wants me to move back home. By the way, mom wants you to come over for dinner tonight, she's making gumbo."_

"_I knew there was a reason I liked your mother"_ Olivia says, _"She's knows gumbo is the way to my heart"_

"_That's strange?" _

"_What is?"_ asked Olivia.

"_Mom makes gumbo every time she comes to New York"_

"_What's so strange about that?"_ asked Olivia. _"You guys are from Louisiana"_

"_Yeah but, haven't you noticed she invites you to dinner on gumbo night?"_

"_Well, she knows I like it_" Olivia says.

"Yeah but…."

"_Mel it's nothing, stop reading into it. What time is dinner?"_

"_Be here around 7:30pm"_

"_Okay. I love you"_ Olivia tells her.

"_I love you too"_ Melinda says, before ending the call. She was unaware her mother was standing near the hall bathroom and could hear her.

Melinda heard the bathroom door close and turns around to see no one. So, she just shrugs it off. About two hours later Juanita asks Melinda to take here to the grocery store. Her father decided to stay at the apartment to watch football; LSU was playing Boston College and he was not about to miss the game to go grocery shopping.

On the ride to the grocery store it was pretty quiet until, _"Did you know Aretha Pearl's baby girl is getting married next week?"_ Juanita asked Melinda.

"_I didn't know that"_ Melinda says. _"She's too young to get married; she's only twenty years old."_

"_Well, you know how much I hate gossiping"_ Juanita started out saying. _"But rumor is, she's done went off and got herself pregnant"_

"_Really"_

"_Oh yes… and, her poor mother is just heart broken."_

"_Well, I hope she's not marrying him just because she's pregnant"_ Melinda says to her mother.

"_What do you expect her to do? She's unable to raise this child on her own and besides Willard's a nice man."_

"_Willard" _Melinda says. _"Oh no, she's marrying Willard Johnson?"_

"_What's wrong with Willard?"_

"_Mom, I went to school with Willard Johnson, he's my age"_

"_Honey, he's only twenty-nine"_ her mother replied.

"_Yeah, but she's twenty. It's like he's rubbing the cradle, if you know what I mean."_

"_Well, Aretha has no idea that her baby girl is pregnant. Every chance she gets, she reminds me her daughter is getting married. She asks about you a lot, you know"_

"_Oh really"_ Melinda says, as she pulls into the parking lot.

"_Yeah… she's always asking me, when are you going to jump the broom? I'm starting to ask myself the same question"_

"_Mom, not again" _Melinda then puts the car in park and turns off the engine.

Juanita turns to face Melinda. "_Pumpkin, you know you can talk to me about anything…you do know that, right?" _

"_Yes, I know. Now, lets go get some groceries"_ Melinda says. She and Juanita stay in the store for about two hours before returning to her apartment.

"_Melinda, you see why I opted to stay here and watch football. When your mother goes to the grocery store, she's in there all day_" her father says as he helps with the bags.

"_Yeah but, I don't mind"_ she tells her father.

As Melinda put away the grocery, her mother prepared dinner. In a way, Melinda liked it when her parents visited; the smell of gumbo reminded her of home. Melinda knows how to make gumbo but her mother's gumbo taste better.

Around 7pm the doorbell rings. _"I'll get it"_ Juanita says. She opens the door to see Olivia standing there with a bottle of wine. "_Olivia, darling…come in"_ she says. Olivia enters the apartment and gives Juanita a hug. _"It's good to see you."_

"_It's nice to see you too Mrs. Jarreau"_ Olivia says.

"_Is that a bottle of wine in your hand?"_

"_Yes it is"_ Olivia says as she hand the wine to Juanita.

"_I'll put it on ice_" Juanita says. _"Melinda is in the bathroom, she should be out shortly. Have a seat."_

Olivia walks over to the couch. _"Hi Mr. Jarreau"_

"_Hello Olivia. How are things at the police station?"_ Carlton asked her.

"_Pretty good"_ Olivia responds. _"I received a promotion yesterday. I'm a Detective now."_

"_That's great" _Juanita says.

"_Yes, it is great"_ says Carlton. _"Can I ask you something?"_

"_Sure" _says Olivia.

"_How is it, two women as beautiful as Melinda and yourself don't have a husband yet?_" he asked.

"_Umm…I, umm…"_ Olivia had trouble trying to explain.

"_Carlton Lee Jarreau, what did I tell you about meddling?_" Juanita interrupts.

"_All I'm saying is, if you wait too long, it's going to be too late to have kids_" says Carlton.

"_Dad, please don't start_" Melinda says as she sits down next to Olivia.

Juanita gets up and set the table for dinner. _"Do you need any help?"_ Olivia asked.

"_I'm good"_ Juanita replied.

"_Look, if you two are waiting for the perfect guy, you will never get married. Now, I know Melinda have high standards but….."_ Carlton was interrupted by the doorbell.

"_I'll get it_" says Melinda.

Carlton looked down at his watch. "_Right on time_" he says. This peeked Olivia's curiosity.

Melinda opens the door and is shocked at who she sees. _"Alan? Alan Carter? What are you doing here?"_

Melinda grew up with Alan Carter. Their parents are the best of friends and at one point Carlton thought Melinda would someday become Mrs. Alan Jackson.

"_Your father called and said, he was in New York. He invited me over for dinner_"

Melinda turns and looks at her father. _"Don't just stand there, let him in"_ Carlton tells her.

Melinda steps aside and Alan enters the apartment. _"I didn't know you were living in New York"_ she says.

"_I moved here two months ago. I'm an associate at Parker, Jackson and Tillman"_

"_So you're a lawyer"_

"_Yep"_ replied Alan.

"_And a really good one_" Carlton added. "_He's single too"_

Olivia and Melinda simultaneously roll their eyes. _"Dad"_ Melinda says.

"_It's just dinner_" Carlton says.

"_Dinner's ready_" Juanita yells. "_Oh Alan, it's good to see you. I didn't know you were coming to dinner."_

"_Neither did I"_ Melinda says.

"_Well, let me get another plate_" Juanita says.

As Olivia pulled out the chair to sit next to Melinda, Carlton stops her_. "Olivia, you sit here next to Juanita and Alan, you can sit next to Melinda." _

Melinda's dad, trying to set her up with Alan is getting on Olivia's last nerve. So, she plays it off and smiles. Olivia sat next to Juanita and Carlton blessed the food.

"_So, how's it going at the firm?"_ Carlton asks Alan.

"_Great"_ says Alan. "_I like the firm and my boss is really cool. My firm is having a Black and White Ball next Friday night."_

""_Oh"_ Carlton says as his eyes widen. "_Do you have a date?"_

"_No. I decided to go alone"_

"_Nonsense"_ says Carlton. "_I'm sure Melinda could clear her schedule for one night."_

"_Dad, what are you doing? I didn't ask you to play cupid for me."_

"_Baby, I know. It's just…"_

"_Melinda doesn't need any help with finding a date_" Olivia says out loud. Everyone looks over at Olivia. _"I mean..."_

"_What she means is, I'm not interested in going out on a date with Alan. It's nothing against him, it's just, I'm not going out on a date my father set up for me. I'm not twelve years old anymore"_ Melinda says.

"_I understand Melinda" _Alan says_. "Besides, you're not my type._

"_Excuse me"_ says Carlton.

"_Don't get me wrong, Melinda is very beautiful and if I were into women, I'd ask her out_" Alan says.

Carlton began choking on the gumbo. "_If you were into women_" he says.

"_Oh, I'm sorry…my parents didn't tell you, huh. I'm gay_" says Alan.

Olivia starts laughing but Carlton found nothing funny. _"Young man, did you say, you were gay?"_

"_Yes sir, I did"_

"_You're going straight to hell"_ Carlton tells him.

"_I've heard that before_" Alan sarcastically says to Carlton.

Carlton gets up from the dinner table. "_Carlton where are you going?"_ asked Juanita.

"_There's no way, I'm sitting at the same dinner table with a homosexual. The Bible says, man shall not lie with man as a woman shall not lie with woman."_

"_I know what the Bible says; did you forget I'm a District Missionary?_"

"_Yeah, you may be a District Missionary but you're not a Preacher"_ Carlton says cold heartedly. Carlton goes into the bedroom.

"_I'm sorry everyone_" Juanita says and then goes into the bedroom. She sees Carlton lying on the bed. _"What is wrong with you? You've known Alan all his life and we're best friends with his parents."_

"_Juanita, I'm a Preacher and I have been one for over 35 years. I live by the Bible"_

"_So, that gives you the right to judge people, huh?"_

"_Wait…who's side are you on?"_ asked Carlton.

Melinda, Olivia and Alan could hear them from the bedroom. "_Well, I'm not going to let this gumbo go to waste"_ Alan said. _"Your father invited me over for dinner and I'm going to eat this delicious gumbo before I leave. So, tell me…."_ He says.

"_Tell you what?"_ says Melinda.

"_Well if my gaydar is right and I know it is, how long have you two been together?"_

"_Lower your voice"_ Melinda says.

"_Your parents don't know, do they?"_ he asked.

"_No, they don't" says Olivia._

"_Are they blind or what? Stevie Wonder can see you two are in love"_ Alan says to them.

They continue to eat and when Alan left Olivia helped Melinda cleaned the kitchen. About an hour later Melinda walked Olivia to the elevator. _"Three more days baby and they're outta here"_ Melinda tells Olivia. She then gives Olivia a passionate kiss goodnight. Melinda goes back in the apartment and sees her mother standing next to the couch.

"_Olivia's gone"_

"_Yes ma'am"_

"_Well, I'm going to call it a night. I'll see you in the morning_" Juanita says and then walks over to Melinda and gives her a goodnight kiss on the cheek. _"Goodnight baby"_

"_Goodnight mom. Tell dad I said, goodnight_" Melinda says.

Around 2:30am, Melinda wakes up to use the bathroom. She hears someone in the kitchen and goes to see which of her parents were up so late. _"Mom"_

"_Hey baby"_

"_Shouldn't you be asleep?"_

"_I couldn't sleep_" Juanita says. _"You want a cup of coffee?"_

"_Sure" _

Melinda pulled out the chair as Juanita poured her a cup of coffee.

"_So, why are you up?"_

"_I had to use the bathroom_" Melinda tells her mother.

"_So, what's on your mind?"_ Melinda asked.

"_You, pumpkin"_

"_Me"_

"_Yeah, you"_ says Juanita.

"_Why?"_ asked Melinda.

"_Honey, I know why you haven't found Mrs. Right yet"_

"_Oh"_ Melinda says curiously.

"_It's because you've found Mrs. Right_" Juanita tells her.

"_Mom, you don't…."_

"_What? Are you going to tell me, I don't know what I'm talking about? I overheard you talking to Olivia on the phone today. And I…I know that look when I see it."_

"_What look, mom?"_

"_You're in love sweetheart"_ Juanita says, as she takes Melinda's hand in hers. _"Is it Olivia?"_

"_No mom"_

"_Don't deny it, honey"_ says Juanita. _"I could tell by our conversations on the phone. When I'd asked you how Olivia was doing, I could hear the excitement in your voice. And the way your face lit up tonight when she came over"_

"_Mom, I…I…"_

"_She's living here with you isn't she? I saw some mail on the nightstand addressed to her. Don't worry, I hid it from your father or he'd have a thousand questions."_

"_Mom, I don't know what to say"_

"_How about telling me the truth? Honey are you a lesbian?" _Juanita asked her daughter.

Melinda had never been so scared in her life. Tears trailed down her face and before she could answer her father walked into the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter – CHP3"**

_"Juanita, honey…what are you two doing up so late?"_ he asked. Melinda turns her head to the left and begins to dry the tears from her face.

"_We were just catching up on old times_" Juanita tells Carlton. "_I'll be there in a minute. You can go back to bed now."_

_"If, I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to get rid of me"_ he says and then looks over at Melinda. "_Honey, are you okay?"_

"_Yes sir, I'm alright_" Melinda replied.

"_Are you sure? I mean, you look like you've been crying"_

_"Dad, I'm okay"_

Carlton walks over to the table where Melinda is sitting. He pulls out a chair and before he could sit down Juanita gets up. "_Well, I think we better hit the sack_" she says to Carlton. "_We've got a lot of sightseeing to do tomorrow."_

_"Juanita, we visit every year. Besides, we've seen all of New York City_" says Calrton.

_"Yeah but, there's one place we haven't gone to yet"_

"_Oh really"_ says Carlton.

"_Yes. So, lets get to bed because we're getting up early_" Juanita says. She gets up from the table and take Carlton by the hand. As he leads her out the kitchen, Juanita looks back at Melinda. "_Goodnight sweetheart_" she says.

"_Goodnight mom_" Melinda replied.

For the next couple of days Melinda was very busy at work. She spent very little time with her parents due to the calls she were getting to come in to a crime scene.

It was her parents last night in New York and she decided to take them out to Pearl's Kitchen. A Soul-food joint that reminded Melinda of her mother's down home cooking. As soon as they walked in the restuarant Juanita commented on the smell of the place. "_Mmm, I can smell the collard greens"_ Juanita says. "_It reminds me of my mother's kitchen."_

While sitting in the restaurant waiting for their food, Alan walks in holding hands with a male friend.

"_He ought to be ashamed of himself"_ Carlton says.

"_Excuse me"_ says Melinda.

_"Look behind you, it's Alan and he's holding hands with a man. He's a disgrace to his family_" Carlton says.

Melinda and Juanita turn and look at the same time. "_Hey there"_ Alan says, as he spotted the Jarreaus.

Melinda and Juanita waved at him but Carlton just sat there. _"He better not come over here with his gay friend or I'm leaving_" Carlton says.

"_Carlton, will you calm down. He's not coming over here, especially after what happened the other night"_ Juanita says. _"I'm still upset with you for treating Alan that way. He's like family to us."_

"_Well, not anymore"_ Carlton replied.

The waiter finally comes over with their food. As they ate their meal Carlton continued making comments about Alan and his homosexual life. "_Melinda, honey…I don't want you hanging out with Alan_" he tells her.

"_Why?"_ asked Melinda.

"_If you hang out with those kinds of people you'll pick up their tendencies_" he says.

_"Dad, wasn't you just a couple of nights ago trying to hook me up with Alan?"_

_"Well yes, but that was before I knew he was, that way?"_

"_Dad, you're such a…."_ Melinda was quickly interrupted by her mother.

_"Hey, tonight is our last night here. We're here to eat and have a good time"_ Juanita says.

As they ate their dinner, Melinda and her parents reminisced about the time when she was growing up with her siblings and all the trouble they got into as kids. Carlton and Juanita laughed so hard, they had tears in their eyes. After dinner, they went back to the apartment. Carlton was tired to he decided to shower and go straight to bed. Juanita put on a pot of coffee.

"_Here you go"_ she says to Melinda, as she hand her a cup of coffee. Juanita sat down on the couch next to Melinda. _"We never finished our conversation from the other night. Do you feel like talking about it?"_

"_About what, mom?"_ asked Melinda. She knew what her mother was talking about. It's just that, she wanted to forget about it.

"_Okay_" Juanita said, as she sat down her cup of coffee on the table in front of the couch. "_If you don't want to talk about it, I won't push you."_

Melinda's eyes began to fill with water. _"Thanks mom"_ she says.

_"I have something to tell you"_ Juanita says to her. "_It's something I never told your father and something I have kept a secret from him and you kids. But, I think now is the right time for me to tell you this"_

_"What is it mom? Are you okay?"_

_"I'm fine honey_" Juanita says and then sighs. _"Melinda I grew up in an unorthodox family."_

_"Well yeah_" Melinda says. "_Granddad walked off and left grandma with two kids to raise on her own."_

Juanita began to shake her head and disagreement. "_That's not true, honey…I lied"_ Juanita says to Melinda, who was shocked.

_"What? So, he didn't leave grandma. Well, did grandma leave him?"_

_"Honey, I never had a father growing up"_

_"Because he walked off, right?"_

_"No honey. What I'm trying to tell you is my mother, your grandmother is a lesbian"_ Juanita tells her.

Melinda sits there in shock. "_No way_" she says. _"No, I don't believe you. I mean, I've never seen grandma with another woman. If grandma were a lesbian, don't you think Aunt Hattie Mae would have said something by now? They've been living together for years, she would have noticed something_."

"_Honey…I grew up with two mothers, your aunt Hattie Mae is your grandma's lesbian lover. I never had the courage to tell your father. When I met your father, he had just gotten ordained and I liked him a lot, so when I introduced him to my mothers, I told him Hattie Mae was my aunt. The good thing about it, I lived in Slidell and your father lived in Baton Rouge so it was easy to keep the truth from him."_

Melinda just sat there. She couldn't believe her grandmother was a lesbian and she never picked up on it. The woman she thought was her great-aunt was in fact her grandmother's lover. _"So, are you telling me, Aunt Hattie Mae is really grandma Hattie Mae?"_ she asked her mother.

"_Well yes, she is_" says Juanita.

"_Mom, dad will go crazy if he finds out"_ Melinda says. _"You don't have to worry about me saying a word, my lips are sealed."_

"_Thanks baby"_

_"Mom, can I ask you a question?"_

_"Go right ahead"_

_"With you being a District Missionary, dad a Preacher and your other kids into the church how does it feel knowing you can't open up to your family about grandma?"_

"_I don't know_" says Juanita. _"I mean, I love the Lord and the Bible teaches us certain things. The Bible also says, He who without sin cast the first stone. To be honest, I guess I feel the same way you feel."_

"_Huh"_

_"You know, holding something in and too afraid to tell your loved one because you're afraid it will destroy your family. Melinda, honey…I love you very much and I don't care who you fall in love with. Your happiness is all I'm concerned about."_

Melinda takes a deep breath and exhales. "_Mom"_

"_Yes, dear"_

_"I'm a lesbian"_

Juanita leans forward and gives Melinda a kiss on the cheek. _"I know honey and I'm happy for you. Now, I'm going to go to bed now"_ she says as she gets up and began to walk toward the bedroom. Juanita turns around, "_Melinda"_

"_Yes ma'am"_

_"I love you"_

_"Love you too, mom_" Melinda said and her cell phone rings shortly after. "_Hello"_

"_Mel"_

"_Hey baby"_ Melinda's face lit up after hearing Olivia's voice.

_"How's it going? Your parents leave tomorrow, right?"_

_"Yep and I have a lot to tell you but I'll wait until I see you. I've missed you so much."_

_"I missed you too" _Olivia tells her._ "What time are you taking them to the airport?"_

_"Around 6am, their plane leaves at 8:30am"_

_"Okay, well, I'll be at the apartment around 9am. I've gotta go, Elliot's beeping in. Love you."_

_"Love you too, see you tomorrow"_ Melinda says before ending the call.

The next morning Melinda had awaken before her parents and she cooked them a good old southern breakfast. As they ate breakfast at the table, her father again brought up the subject.

"_Melinda, I still can't figure out why a pretty girl like yourself is still single. You know, you look exactly like your mother when she was your age. You know, there's this new minister in my church… he's young, single and free."_

_"Carlton, let Melinda eat her breakfast will you"_ Juanita tells him.

"_Juanita, our daughter will be thirty years old next month. She's not married and she's not dating. I think Minister Jacobs will be perfect for her. Besides, she'll be able to meet him at the family reunion in two weeks."_

"_Dad, I don't like it when you try to set me up with someone. Look what happened when you tried setting me up with Alan."_

_"Yeah but, who knew that kid was gay? Honey, don't you want a husband, a family, even grandkids someday?"_ Carlton asked her.

"_Yes, I want the family and grandkids someday but…."_

_"But what_" says Carlton. _"Every time I bring up the subject, of marriage you get uncomfortable. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were gay"_ he says to Melinda.

"Carlton" a stunned Juanita says, "_apologize to her, right now."_

_"No, mom…he's right"_ Melinda says.

_"I'm right"_ Carlton says.

"_Yep_" says Melinda. "_I'm g…."_

Juanita quickly interrupts her daughter, _"Getting sick and tired of you playing match maker_" Juanita says as she looks over at Melinda. _"Isn't that right honey?"_

Melinda looks at her mother, "_Yes ma'am, that's right."_

_"Lets just finish this nice breakfast Melinda cooked for us and then head to the airport"_ Juanita says.

After breakfast, Melinda helped her parents with their luggage and they headed straight to the airport. As they said their goodbyes to one another Carlton apologized to Melinda for what he said at the breakfast table.

"_Honey, I'm sorry for this morning. It's just, I see your sister and brother happily married and I just want you to have what they have."_

_"Dad, I am happy"_

_"I think a husband and kids will make you happier, that's all"_ Carlton says.

_"Dad"_

_"Okay, okay_" Carlton says. "_Honey, watch the luggage, I'm going to the bathroom_" he says to Juanita.

As Juanita watched Carlton walk off, she turns and says, _"You were going to tell him this morning, weren't you?"_

_"Yes"_ answered Melinda.

_"Why"_

_"Why did you stop me?"_ Melinda asked.

_"Honey, there's a time and place for everything. This morning wasn't the time. You were going to blurt out you're gay just because he pissed you off. Melinda, whenever you decide to tell your father, I want it to be because you're ready to tell him. Not because he pissed you off"_ Juanita says.

_"Mom, I plan on coming out at the family reunion_" Melinda says.

_"Do you think that will be the right time to tell everyone you're gay"_

_"Yes ma'am. I had already planned on telling everyone, it's just you figured it out before I got the opportunity."_

_"Okay"_ Juanita says. _"If this is what you want to do, I'll support you on this. Just know, it's not going to be easy."_

_"I know_" Melinda says. _"Just promise me, you'll be there for me."_

_"Honey, I will always be here for you. Don't ever forget that."_

_"Thanks mom"_

Carlton walks up and Melinda gives her parents a goodbye hug.

_"See you in two weeks"_ Carlton says._ "I love you"_

_"I love you too dad"_ Melinda says and hold on to him tight as tears trailed down her face.

_"What's wrong sweetheart?"_ he asked.

_"Nothing"_ Melinda replied. _"I just want to hold on to my daddy, just for a little while."_

Melinda knew this may be the last time she hears her dad say; I love you, to her. She knows coming out will jeopardize her relationship with her father or ruin it. She finally released the bear hug she had on her father. She then gives her mother a hug.

_"I love you and I'm so proud of you"_ Juanita whispers in her ear.

_"I love you too mom"_

As her parents walked away Melinda dried the tears from her eyes. As she walked back to the car, she could smell the scent from her father's cologne on her. When she got in the car she took her shirt and held it up to her nose and closed her eyes as she inhaled the scent of her father. _"Dad still wears the same cologne"_ she thought to herself. When she opened her eyes, she saw an envelope with her name on it. Melinda opened the envelope and took out the picture that was inside. It was a picture of her as a kid sitting in her father's lap. She turned the picture over and read the back, _"My darling Melinda, I will always love you. Love always, daddy"_ was wriiten on the back. Melinda broken down into tears and as she set there in the parking garage, she begin to have second thoughts about coming out to the rest of her family.


	4. Chapter 4

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter – CH4"**

Melinda started the car and left the airport. She arrived back to the apartment around 7am and calls Olivia.

"_Liv"_

"_Hey Mel"_

"_I need you"_

"_I'll be right there"_ Olivia says while at the front desk at the hotel, checking out. She picked up her duffle bag and threw it over her right shoulder _"I'm on my way"_ she tells Melinda as she walked out double doors.

When Olivia entered the apartment, she went to the bedroom to find Melinda lying in bed.

"_Mel…honey, what's wrong?"_ she asked as she walked over to Melinda and sat down on the bed next to her.

"_Could you just hold me, please…just for a few minutes?"_ she asked Olivia.

Olivia looked at the clock; she had to be at work in an hour. _"Sure"_ she says and then lies down next to Melinda, placing her right arm around her lover. Olivia was a bit confused; Melinda has never reacted this way whenever her parents would leave to go back to Baton Rouge. She usually couldn't wait for her parents to leave New York. She'd call Olivia and tell her it was clear for her to come back to the apartment and they'd make love but today it's different. _"You want to talk about it?"_ Olivia asked Melinda after a few minutes of silence.

Melinda grabbed the picture off the night stand; she rolled over and showed it to Olivia_. "It's me and my dad, when I was three years old"_ she says.

Olivia looked at the picture. _"Aww, look at my baby… Mel you're adorable. Did your mom give you this picture?"_

"_No, my dad left it for me"_

Olivia turns the picture over and reads the back. She then looks down at Melinda. _"So, this is why you're feeling sad, huh?"_

"_Yeah"_

Olivia waited a few seconds._ "Sweetheart, are you having second thoughts"_

"_About?"_

"_About coming out to your family" _Olivia says_. "I mean, if you are, I understand."_

"_You do"_

"_Of course I do"_ Olivia tells her.

"_Thanks…I knew you'd understand"_ Melinda says to Olivia.

Olivia sighs. "_Well, I gotta get to work before I'm late_" she tells Melinda, who pulls Olivia in and kisses her passionately.

"_Thanks for understanding_"

"_Feel better"_ Olivia asked.

"_Yeah"_ says Melinda. Olivia doesn't say a word; she gives Melinda one of her fake smiles and gets out of bed.

"Do y_ou want to meet somewhere for lunch today?"_

"_I can't, maybe tomorrow"_ Olivia says. "_I'm going to lunch with Fin and Munch today. Now, get up or you'll be late" _

"_Okay" _Melinda says.

When Olivia got to the office Captain Cragen told her, she'd be working this next case with Fin because Elliot would be in court this week. When they got to Mercy General, Olivia had to talk the victim into having a rape kit completed. After getting the statement from the victim and the completion of the rape kit they took it to Melinda to see if the perp was in the system.

"_What's up Mel?"_ Fin asked as he entered her office. He then hands her the brown paper bag, "_Can you run this for us?"_

"_Sure"_ says Melinda. She then looks over at her lover, _"Do you think you'll be home around 8pm?"_

"_Umm, I don't know"_ Olivia says.

Fin looked over at Olivia then at Melinda and back at Olivia. "_They can't be"_ he thought to himself. _"You two roommates?"_ he asked.

"_No"_ says Olivia.

"_We're lovers"_ Melinda added.

"Lovers" Fin echoed. He wasn't shocked because he had a feeling Olivia was a lesbian. _"What happened to the chick you were dating in the 2/7__th__?_" he asked Melinda.

"_I'm looking at her"_ she tells Fin.

He looks over at Olivia_. "So, how long have you guys been together?"_

"_Three years"_ Olivia replied.

"_Three years and four months"_ Melinda says.

"_Don't worry, I won't tell anyone_" Fin says.

"_It's okay Fin, I don't mind. It's Mel, who has a problem coming out_" Olivia says sarcastically.

"_I don't have a problem coming out, it just…"_

"_What is it, Mel? I'd like to know_" Olivia says.

Fin, could sense tension between the two women. "_Umm, I'm going to go up to the car_" he says.

As soon as Fin leaves her office, Melinda turns to Olivia, "_What the hell was that?"_

"_What?"_

"_It's Mel, who has the problem coming out" _she repeated what Olivia had said. _"I thought you were good with it?"_

"_I am" _Olivia says as she walks over to the chair in front of Melinda's desk and takes a seat. "_Come here"_ she says with her hand out. Melinda places her hand in Olivia's and sits down on her lover's lap. _"I'm sorry, how can I make it up to you?" _Olivia asked.

"_Hmm, well, lets see…maybe a romantic dinner at home will do" _

"_You got it"_ Olivia says. She then cradles the back of Melinda's head with her hand pulling her lover's face to close to hers. Olivia begins to passionately kiss Melinda and suddenly there's a knock at the door. "_Damn, just when it was getting good"_ Olivia says.

Melinda gets up and opens the door, it's Fin. "_Liv, Munch just called, Cragen wants us at the precinct ASAP."_

"_Okay"_ Olivia says. She gave Melinda a kiss and leaves with Fin. On the ride back to the station, Fin teased Olivia about her relationship with Melinda.

"_Damn girl"_

"_What?"_ Olivia says.

"_You and Mel…I mean, I kinda knew you were a lesbian but I never would have thought you like yourself some brown sugar"_

Olivia laughs. "_Oh yeah"_

"_Yeah_" says Fin. "_You know what they say"_

"_What?"_ asked Olivia.

"_Once you go black…."_

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah_" Olivia says, interrupting him. _"Once you go black, you never go back."_

The two of them starts laughing and Fin pulls into the precinct parking area.

"_Liv"_

"_Yeah, Fin"_

"_You don't have to worry about the other guys finding out, my lips are sealed"_

"_Thanks Fin"_ Olivia says. They both get out the car and goes into the precinct.

Around 7:00pm that night Olivia called Melinda's cell phone. "_Baby, where are you?"_

"_I just entered the building. __I'll be up in two minutes."_

Olivia goes into the bathroom and runs a hot bubble bath for Melinda. She hears Melinda in the apartment and goes into the living room.

"_Mmm, dinner sure smells good. __What are we having?"_

"_You're going to have to wait and see_" Olivia tells her. She then takes Melinda by the hand and leads her into the bathroom. "_Why don't you relax a bit while I finish dinner_" she says to Melinda and kisses her.

Olivia helps Melinda undress and into the tub. "_Come here_" Melinda softly demanded. Olivia kneels down next to the tub.

"_Yes"_ she says smiling at her lover.

"_Come closer"_

Olivia leans forward.

"_Closer_" Melinda says.

Olivia again inches closer and began kissing Melinda. "_Mel, I need to check on the food_" Olivia says as she breaks the kiss.

"_Okay"_ Melinda says. She relaxed in the tub while Olivia went to check on dinner.

Olivia set the table with two candles and turned down the lights. She poured wine into the glasses that were placed on the tables. Around 8pm Melinda comes into the living room, she hears Luther Vandross and sees the candle lit table with beautiful red roses. She walks over to the table, picks up the card with her name on it and reads it.

"_Oh Liv, you're so sweet_"

"_Thank you baby_" Olivia says, as she pulls out the chair from the table for Melinda.

Melinda takes a sip of wine. "_So, are you going to tell me what we're having or will I have to guess?" _

"_We're having Crawfish Étouffée" _

"_Yummy"_ Melinda says.

Olivia went into the kitchen to get the Crawfish Étouffée. Her and Melinda ate and had a lovely dinner. After dinner, the two ladies sat down on the couch with a glass of wine.

"_Liv, dinner was great. I didn't know you knew how to make Crawfish Étouffée"_

"_Mel, I must confess_" Olivia says. "_Alan helped out. He left just before you came home."_

"_Well, it was still great" _

"_Thanks baby"_ says Olivia. "_Mel"_

"_Yes"_

"_I've never loved anyone the way I love you. You coming into my life is the best thing that happened to me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you"_ Olivia tells her.

"_Liv, you're the best thing that happened to me too_" Melinda says.

Olivia gets up and goes into the bedroom. "_Okay, that wasn't the response I was expecting_" Melinda says to herself. Olivia comes out the bedroom and sits down next to Melinda.

"_Marry me_" she says to Melinda.

Melinda sure wasn't expecting this. _"Liv, sto kidding around?"_

"_I'm not kidding,_ _I'm serious_" Olivia says, as she takes the small box out of her pocket. She opens it and Melinda sees the diamond ring. "_Melinda, will you marry me?"_

Tears filled Melinda's eyes as she stared at the ring smiling.

"_Mel"_

"_Yes…Yes baby, I'll marry you_" Melinda says.

Olivia takes the ring out the box and slips it on Melinda's finger. "_Perfect"_ she says.

Melinda cups Olivia's face and passionately kisses her fiancé. "_I love you so, so much_" she tells Olivia.

"_I love you too baby"_ Olivia says. She then gets on the phone and calls Serena, who congratulates the two of them.

Melinda wanted to call her mother but decided to tell her in person.

Two weeks passes by and it was now time for Melinda to attend her family reunion. Olivia drove Melinda to the airport and wished her luck. She had the weekend off and Melinda wanted Olivia to go to Baton Rouge with her but Olivia decided it would be better if Melinda went alone. She kissed her lover goodbye and left the airport.

Six hours later Melinda calls Olivia and leaves a message. "_Liv, my plane just landed…Oh, there goes my sister, I'll call you later."_

"_Melinda, it's good to see you"_

"_It's good to see you too, Ruby"_ Melinda said as she hugged her sister. _"Where's mom?"_

"_Oh, you know how she is…She's at home cooking. We have a house full of people already and the reunion doesn't start until Friday."_

"_Great" _Melinda says with a fake smile.

"_Let me help you with your bags"_ Ruby tells her. The sisters then walk to the car. On the ride to the house Ruby gives Melinda the scoop on everything that has been happening in Baton Rouge since the last time they talked.

They finally arrived to the house and Juanita noticed the ring on Melinda's finger right away. She didn't want to question Melinda in front of family so she waited until the right moment. Melinda was upstairs putting her clothes away when her mother knocked on the door.

"_Pumpkin"_

"_Come in mom"_

Juanita enters the room and sits down on the bed while Melinda continues to unpack_. "So, how's New York?"_

"_It's still the same ole New York_"

"_And Olivia?"_ Juanita asked.

Just the thought of Olivia put a smile on Melinda's face. _"Liv, is great."_ Melinda sits down next to her mother.

Juanita takes ahold of Melinda's hand. _"I couldn't help but noticed this big shiny rock on your finger. Did Olivia put it there?"_

"_Yes" _Melinda answered. "_She asked me to marry her and I said, yes."_

Juanita didn't say anything for a while, she just sat there.

"_Mom, you are happy for me, aren't you?"_ Melinda asked.

"_Yes, I'm happy for you; your happiness is all I care about. It's just… I'm wondering how in the world you are going to break the news to your father."_ Juanita says. "_You are still planning on telling him you're a lesbian? s_he asked Melinda.

"_After your visit to New York I started having second thoughts but no more; I'm going to tell him. It will be up to daddy if he wants to be in my life... in his grandkids' life."_

"_Grandkids?"_ Juanita curiously says.

"_Mom, I'm not pregnant. Not yet anyways"_ Melinda says.

"_Have you seen your nana yet?" _

""_Grandma's here, where is she?"_ Melinda asked.

"_She was napping earlier. Come on, I know she wants to see you_" Juanita tells Melinda. She grabs ahold of Melinda's hand again, _"Olivia has great taste. This is no cheap ring_" Juanita tells Melinda.

Before Melinda could say anything, Ruby enters the room and sees her mother admiring Melinda's ring. Melinda quickly tried to hide her hand behind her back but it was too late.

"_Oh my God, is that a ring on your finger?"_ Ruby asked.

"_No_" says Melinda.

Ruby reached down and pulls Melinda's hand from behind her back and screams when she sees the diamond ring up close. _"It is a ring. Oh my God, you're getting married. Who's the guy?"_ asked Ruby.

Melinda looked over at her mother. "_Well"_ says Ruby, "_I'm waiting."_

""_Well Melinda, aren't you going to answer your sister?"_ her father said as he stood at the bedroom door.


	5. Chapter 5

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**Preacher's Daughter- CHP 5"**

Melinda could feel her hearting pounding, it felt like it was about to jump out of her chest. She didn't even notice her father standing at the door until he spoke.

"_Well, I'm waiting_" Carlton said, as he walked over to Melinda. He took ahold of her hand, "_Very impressive_" he said as he absorbed the ring. "_Tell me something…what kind of man proposes to a woman before meeting her parents? We were just up there a few weeks ago, how come we didn't meet this guy of yours?"_

Melinda looked at her mother, _"Mom"_ she said, wanting Juanita to come to her rescue once again liked she always have in the past.

"_Honey, I think it's time_" Juanita says to Melinda.

"_Time for what?"_ asked Ruby, who became confused when she saw tears in her sister's eyes. "_Why are you crying?" _she asked Melinda.

"_Ruby, honey…Melinda has something very important to tell your father, could you give us some privacy?"_ Juanita asked of her youngest child.

"_No mom…she can stay_" Melinda said.

"_Juanita, did you know about this?"_ Carlton asked his wife.

"_No, I just found out today"_ she replied.

"_Dad, please have a seat"_ Melinda said to him. Carlton sat down on the bed and Juanita went over to close the bedroom door. Melinda sat down next to her father and she inhaled deeply before exhaling. _"This isn't how I pictured telling you_" Melinda started out.

Carlton interrupts his daughter. _"Who is this guy? And why haven't I met him?"_

"_Carlton, please…let Melinda finish_" Juanita said. "Now, g_o on, pumpkin_."

"_Dad, you know I love you very much_ and I want you to know, no matter what happens from this moment I will always love you"

"_You're pregnant, aren't you?"_ Carlton said.

"_No dad, I'm not pregnant"_

"_Does he have a job, ex-wife, kids or what?"_ asked Carlton

"_No dad" _

"_Okay, then what is it? Melinda, baby…you're shaking_" Carlton says.

"_Dad, I'm in love with this wonderful person and I'm happier than I've ever been in my life. I've never felt this complete and…"_

"_Melinda, if you're happy, I'm happy for you. It's just…when are we going to meet this fellow? Why didn't you bring him to the reunion this weekend?"_ Carlton asked.

_"Dad"_

_"Yes"_

_"It's not a man that I'm in love with"_

Carlton looks over at Juanita and back at Melinda. "_Wait, I don't understand. If you're not in love with a man than who are you in love with?"_

_"Olivia_" Melinda said. _"Dad, I'm a lesbian"_

Carlton sat there for a few seconds. "_What is this…Is this some kind of sick joke?_" he asked as he snatched his hand away from Melinda's.

"_It's not a joke Carlton_" Juanita said. _"Our daughter is a lesbian_." Melinda looked at her sister, whose eyes widen and mouth opened in disbelief. _"Umm Ruby, you can close your mouth now"_ Juanita said to her.

Carlton began to shake his head in disagreement. _"No…no child of mine is gay_" he told them.

"_Dad, I'm a lesbian and I've been one for a very long time. I've always known, it's just…."_

"_You're not my daughter_" Carlton said.

"_Carlton…don't"_ Juanita said.

Carlton stood up. "_Like I said, no child of mine is gay or lesbian or whatever you want to call it"_ he said to Juanita. Carlton looked over at Melinda, _"You're no longer my daughter and you're no longer welcomed in my home." _

Her father words crushed her. Melinda could feel her chest tightening up, she felt like she was having a heart attack. She knew her father was going to take the news bad but not like this. Melinda stood up and walked over to her Carlton. "_Dad please, I told you because I love you. I couldn't keep lying to you" _she said, as tears trailed down her face.

"_Did you know about this?"_ Carlton asked Juanita.

"_Yes"_

"_Did you say, yes?"_

"_Yes I did" _

"_Why did you keep this from me, Juanita?"_ Carlton asked. "_What the hell is going on?"_

"_Look at you"_ said Juanita.

"_Aint this something_" Carlton said as he fold his arms across his chest. "_So, did you know_" he asked Ruby.

"_No, I'm just as surprised as you are_" she said to her father.

"_Dad"_ Melinda started out.

"_Don't call me that. You're going to burn in hell for your sins. I knew something wasn't right between you and that, Olivia. She's the reason you're the way you are. How can you shame the family like this, huh? We're a well-respected family in this town and I'll be damn if you ruin that. Now get the hell out_" He said to Melinda while pointing at the door.

Melinda's grandmother opened the bedroom door and told them to keep the noise down. It was too late because everyone in the house heard them. Melinda ran past her grandmother in tears and when she got to the bottom stairs everyone was looking at her like she was some kind of strange creature from outer space. Melinda ran outside and through the woods to this place her and Ruby use to play.

"_Are you satisfied?"_ grandma Mildred asked Carlton.

"_Stay out of it, this doesn't concern you_" he said to her and goes down stairs and Ruby follows her father.

Grandma Mildred sat down on the bed next to Juanita. "_Now what are you going to do?_" she had asked her daughter.

"_Oh mama"_ Juanita said, as she laid her head her mother's shoulder. _"I don't know what to do_."

Grandma Mildred turned and faced Juanita. "_Now, are you going to let him keep you away from your daughter the way he's kept you away from me and Hattie all these years?"_

"_He never kept me away from you and mama. He doesn't even know about you two_" Juanita said.

"_Baby, you only visit us once a year. We live in Slidell which is a couple hours away. It's not like we live in South Dakota or Chicago somewhere. I remember the times you use to come home every holiday and now you only come home for Thanksgiving. You've been afraid of him finding out that's why you stayed away, isn't it?"_

"_Yes ma'am"_

"_Well, he knows about pumpkin now. What are you going to do? He already said, she's no longer his daughter anyone. Are you going to disown your daughter or are you going to finally stand up to Carlton?"_

Meanwhile, Ruby asked members of the family if they had seen Melinda. She searched inside and outside for her sister. Finally, she remembered the place by the pond her and Melinda would go to as kids. Ruby went through the woods and sure enough, she found her sister sitting by the pond. Ruby walked over to Melinda and sat down next to her.

"_You are a hard person to find"_ Ruby said, trying to make light of the situation. Melinda just sat there and continued throwing rocks in the water. _"Do you remember how we use to make the rocks skip across the water?" s_till, Melinda kept quiet. "_Oh, come on sis, say something."_

"_Why are you here?"_

"_Because you're my sister and I love you"_ Ruby replied.

"_Yeah well, if you let dad tell it, I'm no longer apart of this family"_

"_Melinda, I want to know what happened."_

"_I fell in love with a woman"_

"_No, not that... I want to know what happened to us. We use to be so close, like twins. We're only eleven months apart, we were inseparable growing up. We use to tell each other everything. When I lost my virginity, I told you before mom. When I found out I was pregnant I told you first. Why did you hide the fact you were a lesbian from me? Did you feel you couldn't share something like that with me?"_

"_We grew apart Ruby and you went all religious on me. Every time we'd talk on the phone it was, the Lord this and the Lord that" _

"_There's nothing wrong with glorifying the Lord; God is good and you know that."_

_"Well, you're also married to the Assistant Pastor in dad's church" _Melinda added_._

_"M__y marriage to Willie Lee has been on the rocks for more than three years now. I don't think it's going to survive past Christmas."_

"_I'm sorry to hear that"_ Melinda said.

"_We didn't marry for love and when you marry for anything other than love it's not going to survive" _Ruby told Melinda._ "Look, I'm not perfect but I've tried to raise my kids to the best way I know how. I want you to know I love you and I want us to again have that sisterly bond we had before. I also want you to know I don't agree with your lifestyle but I'll accept it because you're my sister and I love you and I don't want to lose you."_

"_Thanks" _Melinda said.

"_So, I assume this Olivia you're in love with is the same Olivia you told me was your best friend?"_

"_Yes, she is"_ Melinda said with a smile.

"_See I got you to smile"_ Ruby said as she gave Melinda a playful nudge. _"So, when am I going to get a chance to meet this lady?"_

"_I don't know…You're going to have to come to New York. I wouldn't dare bring her here" _

"_Yeah, I think a vacation will do me some good. I've always wanted to go to the big apple" _

Melinda begins to cry again. "_What am I going to do?"_ Melinda asked Ruby. "_I can't go back there and face all those people. They were looking at me like I had some kind of contagious disease and Dad…"_

"_Yeah, I can't believe what he said to you. I've never seen him that angry"_ Ruby said. "_What I don't get is the Bible teaches us to love one another no matter what, but dad turns his back on his daughter because she's gay."_

"_I knew he wasn't going to take it well" _Melinda said.

"_Yeah, well, he needs to start practicing what he preach. He tells the congregation we should love one another and he does the opposite; he's such a hypocrite. That's why a lot of people have a problem with church folks. We say one thing and do another."_

"_Ruby"_

"_Yeah sis"_

"_Are you serious about having that sisterly bond again or are you trying to cheer me up?"_

"_Both_" Ruby replied. "_I've missed you."_

"_I've missed you too"_

"_I'm going to be honest with you. It's going to take some time for me to get used to seeing you with a woman, especially seeing you kiss another woman."_

"_I understand"_ said Melinda.

Ruby stood up. "_Lets go back to the house and get your things, you can stay with me_" she said as she helped Melinda up.

"_Thanks"_ said Melinda as she stood up.

Meanwhile back at the house, Juanita tried to entertain family members while Carlton was still steaming mad about what Melinda had told him. Juanita went upstairs to the bedroom to check on Carlton. The two begin a heated argument when he accused Juanita of keeping secrets from him. Juanita got so fed up with Carlton that she told him her mother was also a lesbian and that Hattie Mae wasn't really her aunt but her other mother, grandma Mildred's lover. Carlton became irrate and accused Juanita of making him look like a fool. He's more concerned about what the people in town are going to say then his family. He started yelling so loud it scared Juanita. He grabbed his chest and fell to the floor.

"_I…I…I can't breathe_" he said while lying on the floor.

Juanita screamed for help and family members rushed up to the room to find Carlton lying on the floor. They called 9-1-1 for help. As Ruby and Melinda approached the house their cousin Natalie ran up to them.

"_Melinda you've got to help uncle Carlton, he's had a heart attack or something_" Natalie told them.

Melinda and Ruby ran upstairs. Melinda pushed everyone out the way; she kneeled down next to her father and began to perform CPR on her father. "_Come on dad, come on…breathe dammit_" Melinda said as she continued CPR on her father. _"I got a pulse"_ she told her family. A few minutes later the paramedics arrived and took her father to the Hospital. Juanita rode in the ambulance while Ruby, Melinda, grandma Mildred and Hattie followed in the car.

"_It's all my fault_" Melinda said.

"_No honey, it's not your fault"_ Grandma Hattie told her.

"_It is"_ Melinda said._ "I should have just kept my mouth closed. If he dies…"_

"_Pumpkin you can't do this to yourself" _Grandma Mildred told her.

"_Yeah sis, it's not your fault"_ Ruby said as she pulled into the parking space at the hospital. They all got out the car and went into the emergency room. They were taken to the waiting room where Juanita was sitting.

"_Mom_" said Ruby as she hugged Juanita. "_How is he?"_

"_I don't know…I don't know anything. They won't tell me nothing"_ Juanita said as she paced the floor.

They all sat in the waiting room, waiting to hear a word from the doctor. About an hour later, a doctor comes over to the family.

"_Are you the family of Carlton Jarreau?"_ he asked.

"_Yes"_ Melinda said, as everyone stood up.

"_I'm Juanita…Carlton's wife" _

"_Mrs. Jarreau, we've stabilized your husband but he's going to need a coronary artery bypass surgery_" the doctor said.

"_What? Why?"_ asked Melinda.

"_What's a coronary artery bypass surgery_" asked Juanita.

"_Mom, it's basically a triple bypass surgery"_

"_My daughter's a doctor"_ Juanita told the doctor standing there.

The doctor went on to explain the situation to the family and told them the surgery isn't optional, it's needed. He also explained that it was a very serious surgery and Carlton could die on the operating table. He gave Juanita time to think it over and she told him to do the surgery.

Melinda continued to blame herself for her father's heart attack. She broke down in front of everyone; no one could get her to calm down. Melinda ran outside for air and Grandma Mildred went after her.

"_It's my fault, all my fault"_ she told her grandmother as they sat on the bench outside the hospital.

"_This isn't your fault, pumpkin. It's all God's doing"_

"_Oh Grandma, what have I done_" Melinda said as grandma Mildred put her arms around her.

They later went back in the hospital to the waiting room. Ruby went to the cafeteria with grandma Hattie to get food and drinks. Melinda sat next to her mother and placed her arms around Juanita.

"_You did the right thing pumpkin. Telling your father was the right thing to do"_ Juanita said. _"Now I know what I've got to do_" Juanita then got up and began to walk away.

"_Mom, where are you going?" _Melinda asked.

"_I'll be back. I need to make a phone call_" Juanita tells them.

After thirty minutes Juanita returns. They all eat and wait patiently for word on Carlton's condition. It was after midnight and everyone had fallen asleep. Around 3am, the doctor comes in and awakes Juanita and the rest of the family.

"_The surgery went well. He's recovering now"_

"_Can I see him?"_ Juanita asked.

"_Not now, he's out of it. You should be able to see him around noon_" the doctor said.

"_I'm not going anywhere, I'm sleeping here tonight"_ Melinda said as she flopped down in the chair.

"_We're all staying here tonight"_ grandma Mildred said.

Melinda looked at her cell phone to check the time, when she looked up her eyes began to fill with tears when she saw Olivia walking into the waiting room.


	6. Chapter 6

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter- CH6"**

Melinda stood up and immediately ran over to her lover. They stood there in the middle of the waiting room for a few moments, Melinda crying in Olivia's arms.

"I'm glad you're here" she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "When did you…how did you get here…how did you know?"

"I called her" Juanita said, as she walked over to them. "Glad you were able to make it, Olivia" Juanita gives Olivia a hug.

"How's he doing?" Olivia asked.

"He's out of surgery and recuperating now. We're waiting for him to wake up" Juanita said.

Ruby clears her throat. "Oh, I'm sorry…Liv, this is my grandma, Mildred and aunt Hattie Mae and my sister, Ruby" Melinda said as she introduced them.

"Wish we could have met under normal circumstances" Olivia said, as she extended her arm shaking the women hands.

"It's okay, sugar" grandma Mildred told her. "He's going to make a full recovery."

"Mama, you and aunt Hattie Mae, you're tired. You've been here all night, it's a little after 7am…go to the house and get some rest. I'll call you when he wakes" Juanita said to her mothers.

"Baby, are you sure? You know we don't mind waiting" Mildred said.

"I'm sure" Juanita said. "Ruby could you take them to the house for me?"

"Yes ma'am" Ruby said. "Mom, call me as soon as he's awake, okay"

"Sure, honey" Juanita replied.

Ruby walked out with her grandmother and great-aunt.

"Thanks mom" Melinda said to Juanita.

"For?"

"Bringing Liv here"

"Honey, I didn't know what else to do. You've been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours. Heck, this family has been through a lot. I contributed to this mess as well. I got so angry with your father for what he said to you, I told him about mama and aunt Hattie Mae"

"You told him the truth" Melinda asked.

"Yes and I think, that's what pushed him to the edge. If only…only I had…" Juanita began to cry.

"Oh mama" Melinda got up and went over to where Juanita was sitting. "He's okay now"

The nurse enters. "You can go see him now. He's still out of it but, you can still see him."

Juanita and Melinda both stood up. The nurse told them only one person at a time could visit Carlton in the Intensive Care Unit. Melinda told her mother to go ahead. When Juanita reached the area Carlton was at, she saw her husband lying there with tubes up his nose. Juanita took a seat in the chair next to the bed and began to pray for her husband. A few minutes later Carlton opened his eyes and Juanita felt relieved.

"Carlton" she softly called his name. "How are you feeling?"

The drugs hadn't worn off Carlton yet; he was very drowsy and with slurred speech. "Mel…Mel...Mel" he kept repeating.

"Honey, Melinda's in the waiting room. She saved your life…you want to see her?"

"Mel…Mel…Mel" he repeated. Juanita told the nurse Carlton was asking for Melinda and asked if her daughter could come back there. The nurse went to get Melinda and within a few moments Melinda was by her father's side.

"I'm sorry pumpkin" Juanita said. "He went back to sleep."

"It's okay, mom. He's still out of it."

"The good thing is, he was asking for you" Juanita said. "Honey, you're worn out. Why don't you and Olivia go to the house and get some rest. I'll stay here with your father."

"Are you sure, mom"

"Yeah, I'll be alright"

Melinda gave her mom a hug and kissed her father on the forehead, "I love you dad" she whispered in his ear before leaving. She and Olivia decided it would best if they stayed in a hotel instead of the family house. So, they went back to get Melinda's bags.

When they arrived at the house grandma Mildred was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. "Sure smells good in here" Olivia said.

"It's that downhome southern cooking" Mildred said to Olivia. "Have a seat; it'll be done in a few minutes."

"Ah nana...Olivia and I are only here to get my bags. We're going to check-in to a hotel"

"I understand" grandma Mildred said. "But, you can still sit down and have a nice home cooked breakfast before going to the hotel. By the way, CJ called. He said, he's about two hours away and that he's going straight to the hospital once he makes it to Baton Rouge."

Melinda and Olivia sat down at the table. "Hattie" Mildred called out, "Breakfast's ready"

At first it was quiet at the table. Melinda would look at her grandmother and back at her aunt Hattie Mae. She kept wondering how she missed the signs.

"Juanita told you, didn't she?" Mildred asked.

"Told me what?" Melinda knew what her grandmother was asking.

"About me and Hattie. That's why you keep looking at us the way you are."

"Yes ma'am…mom told me" Melinda said. "It's just…I wouldn't have ever thought in a million years you two were…well, you know"

"Lovers" Hattie added.

"Yeah, lovers" Melinda said, and then took a drink of ice tea. "I mean, you always had separate bedrooms or so we thought. You two even look alike."

"We know. That's why it was so easy for people to believe we were sisters" Mildred said.

"So what now…do I still call you aunt Hattie Mae or grandma Hattie?"

Hattie Mae reached across the table and placed her hand on top of Melinda's. "Sweetheart, you can call me whatever you like" she said.

"What do mom call you?"

"Well…when we're around other folks she calls me aunt Hattie Mae but when we're alone or on the phone she calls me mom."

"Well, I'll call you grandma Hattie…if it's okay with you?"

Tears filled Hattie Mae's eyes. "Sure baby" she said.

"Olivia" Mildred said. "I see you put that rock on my grandbaby's finger"

"Yes, I did" Olivia said smiling.

"Juanita tells me, you're a police detective"

"Yes ma'am"

"That line of work is very dangerous, isn't it?" asked Mildred.

"I'm in the Special Victims Unit. It's a lot less dangerous than Narcotics or Homicide" Olivia told her.

"Oh" Mildred said.

"Nana" Melinda said to Mildred. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure baby"

"Who is mom's dad?"

"He was a close friend of ours. He knew we wanted to have kids, so he volunteered his service to us. I had your mother and Hattie had Phylicia" Mildred told her.

"So, you mean to tell me you're not aunt Phylicia's mother and that grandma Hattie is?" a stunned Melinda asked.

"Well, of course I'm her mother…I just didn't give birth to her" Mildred said.

"But aunt Phylicia calls you, mom" she said to Mildred and then looked over at Hattie, "And she calls you aunt Hattie Mae but you're really her mom"

"I know, confusing…isn't it" Hattie said.

"Gee…talking about family secrets" Melinda said and leaned back in the chair.

"When your father and mother first started dating he knew your mother and Phylicia were sisters. So when your mother introduced us to Carlton, she told him Hattie was her aunt. All of us have been lying so long to protect your mother we've forgotten what the truth is. She never wanted any of this to come out and now that it's out we probably can start bandaging the wounds from all the lies been told through the years" Mildred said.

After breakfast Melinda went upstairs and packed her luggage, while Olivia sat in the living room with Mildred and Hattie. "Our granddaughter is very precious to us, you know" Hattie said to Olivia.

"She's precious to me too" Olivia replied.

"That's good to hear" Mildred said.

As Olivia observed the two older ladies sitting on the couch, she wondered what life would be like with Melinda when they're in their 70s.

"I'm all set" Melinda said as she walked down the stairs.

Olivia stood up and walked over to Melinda, "I'll put these in the car" she said, as she reached for Melinda's luggage.

Melinda gave her grandmothers a kiss goodbye and got in the car with Olivia. As they drove to the hotel, tears began to trail down Melinda's face. "Honey, are you okay?" Olivia asked.

"No, I'm not" Melinda replied. "My whole life and family has been one big lie."

Olivia pulled into the hotel parking lot. "Sweetheart it's…."

Melinda interrupted. "Liv, don't tell me it's going to be okay…because it isn't. My dad almost died because of me and my mom and all the lies. It's not going to be okay."

Olivia sighs. "Honey…."

Melinda interrupted again. "Do you know what this is going to do to him? He's a District Judge and a Preacher, his reputation is going to be ruined when people find out. It just might make the papers. I can see the headline now; _District Judge's Family is a Phony_"

"Don't you think you're being too hard on yourself?"

"No" Melinda replied. She and Olivia got out the car and checked-in the hotel. While Melinda was in the shower, her mother called to tell her, her father was awake. Olivia relayed the message to Melinda.

Melinda quickly dried off, lotion her body, put on her clothes and went to the hospital. Olivia sat in the waiting room while Melinda went to see her father. When Melinda opened the door she saw her mother, sister and brother sitting around the bed where her father was lying.

CJ got up and gave Melinda a hug. "It's good to see you sis"

"You too CJ" Melinda said. "How's dad?"

"In and out" CJ said. "Here, have my seat... I'll stand" he told her.

"Carlton…honey, Melinda's here" Juanita said.

Carlton who was still drowsy opened his eyes. "What…what is she doing here?"

"Carlton, it's Melinda. You were asking for her this morning, remember" said Juanita.

"No, no, I…I don't want her here"

"Dad" Ruby said, "You're here because of Melinda…she saved your life."

Carlton looked over at Melinda. "You should have let me died" he said to her.


	7. Chapter 7

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter- CH 7"**

Melinda couldn't believe what her father had just said. As tears began to fill her eyes, she felt her chest tightening up and needed air. She ran out the room and down the hall passing the waiting area. Olivia saw her and ran after her.

"Mel…Mel, wait" she said.

Melinda ran down the three flights on stairs and out the double doors. She wanted to get as far away from the hospital as she could. Olivia finally caught up with her in the parking lot. Seeing Melinda crying hysterically, Olivia assumed the worst.

"Mel, honey" she said embracing Melinda. "Is he gone?"

"No" she answered crying on Olivia's shoulders.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Can you take me home? I ready to go home…back to New York"

"Sure" Olivia said caressing Melinda's back.

They walked over to the car and drove back to the hotel.

**Meanwhile back in Carlton's room…**

"Dad, how could you be so mean to Melinda? Telling her, she should have let you died" CJ asked.

"Your sister isn't who you think she is" Carlton said.

"Okay, what's going on here?" a confused CJ asked.

"Melinda's a lesbian" Ruby told her brother.

CJ stood there for a few minutes but didn't seem surprised. "You're not going to say anything?" asked Carlton.

"What do you want me to say?" CJ asked.

"Your sister has turned her back on God and this family" Carlton said. "She's gone against everything we've taught her and she's going to burn in hell. It's all because of Olivia; she's poisoned Melinda's mind with the devil's work."

"Well, she's my sister and it doesn't matter to me if she is a lesbian or not" Ruby said.

CJ looked over at his mother. "Mom, do you feel the same way dad does?"

"Did you tell them?" Carlton asked Juanita.

"Tell us what?" Ruby asked.

"About you grandmother" Carlton said to Ruby.

"What about grandma?" CJ asked.

"This isn't the time" Juanita said.

"Yeah, what about grandma, is she okay?" Ruby asked.

"So, they don't know, huh" Carlton said.

"Know what?" Ruby anxiously asked.

"Go ahead Juanita" Carlton said. "Tell them why I ended up having a heart attack."

"This isn't the time or place" Juanita added.

"What the heck is going on?" Ruby asked.

Juanita's cell phone rang. "Hello…yeah, mama this isn't a good time…yes ma'am, I'll call you later."

As Juanita ended the Carlton asked, "Which one were you talking too?"

"Are you two going to tell us what's going on?" CJ asked.

"Your sister isn't the only lesbian in the family. Your grandmother's a lesbian too" Carlton said.

"What?" a shocked Ruby asked in disbelief. "Dad you've said some mean and cruel things in the last day and a half but this have got to the worst" she told him.

"He's not lying" Juanita reluctantly said to her children. "Your grandma Mildred is a lesbian."

"What…well, how do you know? Did she tell you guys?" Ruby asked.

"Apparently she's always…." Carlton began to say and was quickly interrupted by Juanita.

"Carlton will you just be quiet...please" she asked her husband. Juanita turned and began to explain things to Ruby and CJ. "I never wanted you kids finding out because I didn't want you to think any less of mama. You see, your great-aunt Hattie Mae isn't really mama's sister, she's her lover. When your father and I started dating, I didn't want him to know my mothers were lesbians so they pretended to be sisters. But one lie led to another and another. I have two mothers and I love them both"

"So, let me get this straight" Ruby said. "Grandma and aunt Hattie Mae are really lovers and not sisters"

"Yes"

"What the hell...Does aunt Phylicia know?"

"Yes" Juanita answered. "There's more"

"Don't tell me aunt Phylicia's a lesbian too" said Ruby, who was in shock over the news about her grandmother.

"No she's not" Juanita said and sighed. "Mama isn't Phylicia's mother"

"Well, who is?" asked Ruby.

"Aunt Hattie Mae" CJ added. "Aunt Hattie is her mother, isn't she" he asked his mother. "And you and aunt Phylicia have the same fatherm right?"

"Yes" Juanita replied.

"How do you know?" Ruby asked her brother.

"Son, you don't seem surprised" Carlton said to CJ.

"I'm not dad" said CJ. "I've known since I was thirteen years old, the summer you and mom went to Hawaii and we stayed with grandma for two weeks."

"Did mama tell you?" Juanita asked.

"No, not at first" CJ said and then explained. "One night, I got up in the middle of the night and I saw grandma and aunt Hattie Mae kissing. At first I was disgusted by it and then I realized if they were kissing they couldn't be sisters. So, the next day I went in grandma's room and went through her things and I found a copy of aunt Phylicia's birth certificate. It had Aunt Hattie Mae listed as the mother. Grandma eventually caught me going through her things. I told her that, I saw her and aunt Hattie Mae kissing and I showed her the birth certificate. Grandma sat me down and explained everything to me."

"And she asked you not to say anything, didn't she?" Carlton asked CJ.

"No, she didn't" CJ answered. "Grandma wanted to tell mom I knew the truth but I asked her not too. I didn't want mom to know that I knew the truth. I didn't want mom to live with a fear of me telling you, dad."

"You knew and didn't tell me. My own son…a minister in my church...I can't believe this" Carlton said. He looked over at Ruby, "Are you keeping secrets too?"

"Dad, I love you very much but right now I'm upset with you. How could you be so mean, downright cruel to Melinda? She has always been your favorite, and this is how you treat her." Ruby shook her head, "I'm leaving before I say something I'll regret." She walked out the room and CJ followed behind her.

"You want me to leave too" Juanita asked him.

"Juanita, why didn't you tell me the truth in the beginning?"

"Because, I loved you and I wanted so badly to be Mrs. Carlton Jarreau. Would you have married me, knowing my mothers were lesbians?"

"No" Carlton answered as tears began to flow down the side of his face. "But, it really doesn't matter now because we've been married for over 30 years and I still love you the same."

Juanita got up and sat on the side of the bed next to Carlton. "What about Pumpkin? Do you still love her?" she asked him as she wiped the tears from Carlton's face.

"I gave her that nickname, you know" he said.

"I know" Juanita replied.

"Yes, I still love her. It's just I always pictured her marrying a lawyer or doctor and having kids. I would have never thought in a million years, my beautiful little girl would be a lesbian. It's hard Juanita…it's really hard for me right now. First Melinda told me she's in love with a woman and then you told me about your mothers. I felt like you all betrayed me and it hurts." Juanita sat there with tears in her eyes, wondering how her family was going to recover from all the lies. "I'm a bit tired now, I need my rest" Carlton told his wife. Juanita gave Carlton a kiss on the cheek and left.

Back at the hotel Olivia had booked her and Melinda a flight to New York for the next day. She went down to Ruby Tuesday for take-outs while Melinda took a shower. When Melinda came out the shower she heard a knock at the door. She went over and opened it. "CJ, Ruby…what are you doing here?" Melinda asked surprised to see her siblings.

"Can we come in?" CJ asked.

Melinda stepped aside letting them enter the room. "CJ, if you're here to tell me what I'm doing is wrong then…."

CJ interrupted. "Wait, wait, wait a minute sis. I'm not here for that. We came over to see how you were doing. You ran out the hospital so fast, when we came out the room you were gone. I just wanted to know if you were okay."

"Yeah, I'm good. What about dad, is he okay?"

"He's good, just stubborn as hell" Ruby said. "Where's Olivia?"

"Who's Olivia?" CJ asked.

"Melinda's friend"

"Oh, I see" he said.

"She went to grab us a bite to eat. She'll be back soon" Melinda said.

"Melinda, all of this is going to take some time for us to get used to. I mean with you and now the family has to deal with the truth about grandma, aunt Hattie Mae and aunt Phylicia. It's a lot to take in all at once" CJ told her.

"So, mom told you guys everything"

"Well, CJ already knew and I just found out an hour ago" Ruby said.

"Olivia and I are leaving tomorrow; we're flying back to New York"

"You can't leave" Ruby said. "Tomorrow is the first day of the family reunion."

"Yeah sis, if you leave who's going to be my spades partner" CJ joked.

"I'm sorry but, Olivia has already booked the tickets and besides I don't want to face all those people tomorrow, especially uncle Harold."

"Does mom know you're leaving?" Ruby asked.

"I was going over to the house tonight and tell her and grandma" Melinda said.

Olivia returned from Ruby Tuesday with the food. "Liv, this is my brother CJ" Melinda said. "You've already met my sister."

"Nice to meet you" Olivia said as she shook his hand.

"Same here" CJ said.

"Well, we've better be going" Ruby said as she stood up. "Love you" she said to Melinda as she hugged her big sister.

"Love you too" Melinda replied.

As CJ and Ruby left, Olivia opened the bag and placed the food on the table. "Seems like it went well between you and them"

"Yeah" Melinda said. "If I ask you to cancel the flight for tomorrow would you be upset?"

"So, you want to stay for the reunion?"

"Yeah, I do and I want you to stay with me"

"Okay, I'll cancel the flight" Olivia said.

That night in bed, Olivia held Melinda in her arms as she slept. She was worried about her lover and how the rest of the family was going to treat her at the reunion_. "If any of them say anything to hurt her tomorrow I swear I'm going to go off on them"_ she thought to herself.

The next morning Melinda woke up around 8am. She rolled over to find Olivia's side of the bed empty. She called out for her lover but there was no answer, so she figured Olivia went out to get breakfast. Instead of getting breakfast Olivia went to the hospital. She knocked on Carlton's room door and entered the room. Carlton opened his eyes to see Olivia standing over him.

"Olivia" he said.

"Mr. Jarreau" she replied. "


	8. Chapter 8

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter-CH8"**

"You're the last person I expected to see" Carlton said as he pushed the button on the remote, raising his upper torso. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you" Olivia said.

"About?"

"Melinda"

"No, I won't talk about her with you" said Carlton.

"Well" Olivia said and then sighed. "If you don't want to talk that's fine but there's something I need to say to you".

"Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it"

Olivia placed a chair next to the bed, "You're going to hear me out" she said as she sat down in the chair.

"Hear you out, huh" Carlton sarcastically said. "Whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it. You did this to my daughter. She was a sweet, innocent young lady until she met you".

"I understand you need someone to blame. So if you're going to blame someone, I guess it's okay to blame me" Olivia said. "If you want to be mean and hateful, then be mean and hateful to me, not Melinda. She loves you so much; her family means the world to her and what you're doing is tearing her apart".

"All these years she's been lying to me; one lie after the other"

"Would you have reacted any differently if she had told you she was a lesbian at seventeen?" Olivia asked.

"No" Carlton replied. "She's my oldest daughter" he said as tears began to trail down the sides of his face. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but she's the smartest one of my kids and my favorite. I had such high hopes for her. I thought she'd be married with kids by now, not a lesbian. I still love her very much and it's hard for me knowing that if my daughter doesn't change her lifestyle she will end up in hell."

Olivia sat there and listened as Carlton continued talking about Melinda. She came to his hospital room to give him a piece of her mind for being so mean to Melinda but after listening to Carlton, she changed her mind. In a way, Olivia was starting to feel sorry for Carlton, until….

"Do you love her?"

"What?" Olivia asked.

"I asked, if you love Melinda"

"Of course I do" she said.

"Do you love her enough to let her go?"

"I'm not letting her go" Olivia told him.

"Do you really think, she'll choose you over her family?"

"I've never asked her too" Olivia said.

"You've poisoned Melinda's mind with your filthy ways. My daughter belongs here in Louisiana with her family, not with you"

"I can't believe you. You're really something else, you know that"

"Let her go Olivia, let her go. You're ruining her life; she deserves better, so much better"

Olivia leaned forward and looked Carlton straight in the eyes. "I love your daughter and I have no intentions on leaving her. She means the world to me and my mother adores her. You know, you're right about one thing."

"What's that?" asked Carlton.

"Melinda is the smart one. She was smart enough to get from under your wings" Olivia said as she stood up.

"You and her…it won't last" Carlton said.

Unaware Melinda had walked into the room; Olivia decided it was time to tell Carlton exactly how she felt.

"Listen, you old man… You call yourself a Reverend and you go around judging people; you're such a hypocrite. I've had it up to here" Olivia said as she placed her hand above her head, "with your self-righteous bullshit".

"LIV" Melinda yelled. Olivia turned to see an upset Melinda standing within inches of her. "WH…what are you doing? Don't speak to my father that way"

"I'm sorry Mel but he…."

Olivia was interrupted by Carlton. "And this is who you want to spend your life with?" he asked Melinda.

"Dad…please" Melinda said. "Liv, why were you talking to my father like that?"

"Your dad, he's a piece of work. Do you know what he asked me to do?"

Carlton could see Melinda was very upset with Olivia and he knew exactly how to take advantage of the moment. "Melinda, sweetheart…Olivia is very rude and I'm sure you've never spoken to her mother in such a tone."

Melinda was shocked to hear her dad call her sweetheart. In a way, she felt relieved. "Liv, my dad is right. I've never even raised my voice at your mother, let alone swear at her".

"Are you really falling for this?" Olivia asked Melinda. "Yesterday, he didn't want anything to do with you and now…all of a sudden, you're his daughter again."

"Melinda is my flesh-n-blood; she will always be my daughter. Now Olivia, I may have said something to upset you but you had no right coursing at me. You owe me an apology" Carlton said.

"In your dreams" Olivia replied. "C'mon Mel, let's get out of here" Olivia grabbed ahold of her lover's hand and Melinda quickly snatched it away.

"Liv, dad's right. Now apologize, will you" Melinda demanded.

"I'm not apologizing" Olivia said.

"Why not?" asked Melinda.

"By apologizing, she's admitting she was wrong and we all know Olivia is never wrong" Carlton said.

"You need to stay out of this" Olivia said to Carlton.

"Are you going to apologize?" Carlton asked.

"Hell no" Olivia replied.

Carlton looked over at his daughter. "Melinda, sweetheart…could you please hand me a cup of water?"

"Sure dad" Melinda said, and then poured water in the small plastic cup. "Here you go".

Olivia looked at Carlton; he had this manipulating smirk on his face. "Mel, are you coming with me?"

Carlton began to cough. "Dad, are you okay?"

"Yeah pumpkin, I'm fine" Carlton said. Carlton was laying it on heavy and Melinda was falling for every bit of it. Just hearing Carlton call her pumpkin, put a smile on her face.

"Mel, can I talk to you…outside" Olivia said.

"Dad, I'll be right back" Melinda said.

She followed Olivia out the room. "I hope you're not falling…." was all Olivia could get out before Melinda interrupted her.

"Liv, you owe my dad an apology. You had no right talking to him like that. What were you thinking?"

"Mel, he…he…"

"I don't care what he did, Liv…he's my father. When I woke up this morning you were gone. Did you come here to give him another heart attack?"

"That's not fair" Olivia said.

"Well"

"You want your dad's love so much till you're blind to the facts. You can't even see what he's doing" Olivia said.

"Look… you don't know what it feels like to have a father in your life. So, you don't know how I feel right now or what I'm going through" Melinda said.

"Wow" Olivia said shaking her head.

Melinda sighed. "I'm sorry"

"Don't apologize" Olivia said with tears in her eyes. "You meant every word".

"Liv" Melinda reached for her lover's hand.

"I'm outta here" Olivia said and then ran down the hall to the elevator.

Melinda watched as Olivia got on the elevator. She then went back into her father's hospital room.

"Where's Olivia?" Carlton asked.

"Gone" Melinda replied.


	9. Chapter 9

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter-CH9"**

Olivia went back to the hotel and began packing her things when there was a knocked at the door. She walked over and opened it. "Hi Olivia"

"Hello Mrs. Jarreau"

"Is it okay if I come in?"

"Sure" Olivia said as she stepped to the side letting Melinda's mom into the room.

"I tried calling the both of you earlier but you didn't answer" Juanita said, as she noticed the luggage on the bed. "What's this? Are you going somewhere?"

"I'm leaving"

"I don't understand" a puzzled Juanita said as she sat down on the bed.

Olivia sighed. She then sat down next to Juanita and told her about the heated exchange between her, Melinda and Carlton. "That's no reason to up and leave" Juanita said "Pumpkin needs you, she'd be heartbroken if you left her"

"Well, she has her daddy now" Olivia sarcastically said.

Meanwhile in Carlton's hospital room the nurse was there checking up on him and left a few minutes later. "You still here" Carlton said to Melinda. "Does this mean you've finally decided to do the right thing?"

"What's that?" asked Melinda.

"You know" Carlton replied.

"Dad" Melinda then sighed. "Why were you so nice to me earlier?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Dad, I love Olivia and you can't change that"

Carlton closed his eyes and sighed. "Please leave…go…I don't want to see you again" he said.

Melinda stood up and walked over to the hospital bed. "You can disown me all you want, I don't care. You're my father and I still love you" she then turned and walked out the room.

"What time does your flight leaves?" Juanita asked as she drove Olivia to the airport.

"Just drop me off, I'll catch the next flight out" Olivia replied.

"Do you mind if I stop by the house, I forgot my purse" Juanita asked Olivia.

"I don't mind"

As she drove to the house Juanita carried on a friendly conversation with Olivia. She's always liked Olivia and she knew deep down Olivia would never do anything to hurt her daughter. As they approached the family house, Olivia noticed all the cars in the driveway, along the street and on the lawn. "What's going on?" she .

"Oh nothing" Juanita casually said "just the family BBQ"

"That's right" Olivia said, "I forgot, the family reunion is still going on"

They pulled up alongside a car parked in the driveway. "Come on, get out" Juanita said.

"I think it'll be best if I stayed here"

"Nonsense" Juanita said. "Come in and say goodbye to everyone"

Olivia got out the car and followed Juanita into the house.

Melinda returned to the hotel to find Olivia and her things gone. She called Olivia's cell phone several times and got no answer. Melinda's eyes filled with tears as she realized her fiancée had left her and went back to New York. "_I lost my father and now, Liv_" she thought to herself. Melinda felt sick; she didn't want to go over to her parent's house, so she just laid in bed feeling sorry for herself.

"Olivia…over here" Ruby said. Olivia walked over to the bar where Ruby was standing. "You want a beer?"

"Sure" Olivia replied.

"Where's Melinda?"

"At the hospital"

"Oh" Ruby replied.

"Melinda sure has a big family"

"Yeah…we do have a big family" Ruby said. She then took Olivia by the hand, "Come on, let me introduce you to everyone" As they walked around, Ruby introduced Olivia as Melinda's friend but everyone was well aware of who Olivia was.

An hour had passed and Olivia walked up to Juanita. "I'm ready whenever you are" she said to Juanita.

"Do you really want to go back to New York like this?" Juanita asked her.

Olivia sighed. "No…it's just….."

Juanita interrupted. "I get it, Olivia….she took her father's side. She wants her father's love so, she couldn't see he was manipulating her" Juanita grabbed ahold of Olivia's hand. "Come with me". Olivia followed Juanita up to Melinda's old room.

"There are a lot of pictures of Mel with her dad in here" Olivia said, as she looked around the room.

"She's a daddy's girl" Juanita replied. "Do you know, you're the first person Melinda's ever dated to enter this room?"

"I didn't know that"

"Oh Olivia…I don't want you to leave"

"I don't want to go" Olivia said.

"Then stay. Melinda needs you"

Olivia gave a light smile. "Okay, I'll stay"

"Good" Juanita replied. "Now, I want you to go downstairs and get some of that good ole southern BBQ.

While Olivia went downstairs to get a plate of food, Juanita tried calling Melinda. From the ringtone Melinda knew her mother was calling her. She was missing Olivia and didn't feel like talking. Melinda picked up her cell phone and turned it off. She then rolled back unto her side and continued crying.

Juanita went downstairs a few minutes later. "Where's everyone?" she asked her mothers who were in the kitchen. "In the backyard" mama Mildred replied. Juanita went out back and saw everyone having a good time; some were playing volleyball and others were dancing to the music. She looked over to her right to see Olivia playing Spades with three of Melinda's cousins. Juanita smiled and went back inside. She then came back out with a purple t-shirt; it had _The Jarreau, LeBlanc, and Breaux Family Reunion, _written on it. It was the same t-shirt everyone was wearing. Juanita walked over to Olivia "Welcome to the family" she said as she hand the t-shirt to Olivia. "Now go inside and put it on"

"Thank you" Olivia replied.

"Okay…we'll hold the game for you" Cousin Earl said. "Hurry up" he demanded.

Olivia went inside and put on the t-shirt. For the next five hours Olivia played spades, danced, drank alcohol and conversed with Melinda's family. Around 9pm that night, Ruby took Olivia back to the hotel. When she entered the room, she saw Melinda sleeping peacefully.

"Mel" she softly called out her lover's name. Melinda didn't budge. Olivia placed her luggage in the closet and got in bed next to Melinda wrapping her arms around her lover.

"Liv" said a shocked Melinda. She then turned to face Olivia, "You're really here?"

"Yeah" a smiling Olivia said, "I'm really here". Olivia could tell Melinda had been crying, her eyes were red and swollen. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I…I…I thought you had left me. You were gone and all of your things were gone. I tried calling you and you never picked up. Where did you go?"

"Sorry, I left my phone in your mom's car"

"You were with my mom?"

"Yeah, I asked her to take me to the airport but she apparently had other plans" Olivia said. "So, I spent the last several hours at the BBQ at your parent's house. How come you never showed, your mom and Ruby called you?"

"Oh Liv, I'm sorry. You were right all along about my father. I shouldn't have demanded your apology. He's a stubborn old man set in his ways and I don't think he's going to change. I'm not going to waste anymore of my time, energy, and tears trying to get him to see things my way. Liv, I love you very much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you still want me?

"Of course I still want you. Why do you think I'm here and wearing this purple t-shirt?" Melinda smiled. "By the way, your t-shirt is over there" Olivia said, pointing at the dresser. Olivia softly kissed Melinda, who deepened the kiss. The two lovebirds made love for the rest of the night.

The next morning they were awakened to Olivia's ringing cell phone. "Hello" a sleepy Olivia said into the phone.

"Wake up, sleepy heads" Juanita said.

"Good morning"

"I've been calling Melinda's phone for the last fifteen minutes"

"Oh, here she is" Olivia hand the phone to Melinda.

"Hello"

"Pumpkin"

"Good morning mom"

"Sweetheart, what happened? How come you didn't come over yesterday?"

"Mom, it's a long story"

"Well, tell me over breakfast"

"Huh" Melinda said.

"I'm making a family breakfast and I want everyone over here. I have a surprise for everyone"

"Okay, we'll be there soon" as Melinda end the call Olivia began kissing the side of her neck. "If you keep that up, we'll miss breakfast"

"You're my breakfast" Olivia playfully said as she kissed Melinda. Twenty minutes later, Olivia had Melinda screaming as her juices filled Olivia's mouth.

Around 8:30am they arrived at her parent's home. Grandma Hattie Mae greeted them at the door. "Good morning grandma Mildred" Melinda said, as she gave her grandmother a hug and a kiss.

"Good morning pumpkin"

As everyone surrounded the table to say grace, Melinda noticed her mother was missing. "Where's mom?" she asked. Before anyone could answer the doorbell rang.

Grandma Mildred went to the door. When she opened it, she saw Juanita standing at the door with Carlton. "Mom" Juanita said. "Aren't you glad to see Carlton?"

"Welcome home" she said with a fake smile on her face.

Carlton stood there for a minute. He thought about the woman he called mom and loved over thirty-five years is actually a lesbian. A woman who's been better to him than his own mother. "Hey" he reluctantly said.

As he walked in the living room, everyone in the house got quiet. "What're you doing here?" he asked as he walked over to Melinda.

"Carlton, calm down" Juanita said. "The doctor said, you need your rest. Come on, let's go upstairs"

"I want to know, why is she still here?" he asked Juanita.

"Carlton, you're going to run your blood pressure up" Juanita said, as she pleaded with him.

"I'm sick of you treating me like this" Melinda said, which surprised everyone in the house. "All my life, I've tried to please you. Well…no more. I'm tired of living for you, dad…I'm done with it. From now on, I'm living for me, Melinda" she said and then looked around the room. "I'm pretty sure you all know by now but for those of you who don't know, I'm a lesbian" she then walked over to Olivia and put her arms around her lover "and Olivia is my fiancée and we plan on getting married and having kids"

What Melinda did inspired Juanita to come clean. Juanita went over and stood next to her mothers. "I want everyone to know, this is my mother, Mildred and this" she said as she took ahold of Hattie Mae's hand "is my other mother, Hattie Mae. They've been lying for me for over thirty-five years now. Well, it's time to come clean to everyone. Mildred and Hattie aren't sisters, they're lovers and they had two beautiful daughters together, me and my sister, Phylicia"

Phylicia then walked over and stood next to her sister and mothers. "I'm glad this is out in the open" she said. Phylicia's kids looked puzzled "I have some explaining to do to my kids" she said as she looked over at them.

"Your mother can do whatever she wants and live her life however she wants but Melinda is my daughter and I refuse to accept her lifestyle. I want her out of this house and out of my life" Carlton said as he went upstairs.


	10. Chapter 10

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter-CH10"**

They all watched as Carlton walked upstairs. "I'm sorry everyone" Juanita said. "I, I thought Carlton would be happy to see everyone".

"Auntie, you have nothing to be sorry about" cousin Earl said, as he placed his arm around Jaunita's shoulders. "Uncle Carlton is acting like a jerk right now. C'mon everyone let's eat…I'm starved".

As everyone sat down for breakfast, Melinda told her mother, she and Olivia would be leaving the next day for New York. "Pumpkin, I wish you could stay longer".

"Why?" Ruby asked. "So, dad could humiliate her even more"

"Yeah, where does uncle Carlton get the nerve to judge anyone?" cousin Earl said. "I can't believe him. He had to overcome so much growing up in the South and now he's doing the same thing to his daughter. Segregating her… looking down on her because of who she is"

"Wait a minute…just wait one minute. I want to know, what the hell is going on here?" Deborah said, as she rubbed her forehead. "Yesterday, I find out my cousin is gay and now I find out my grandmother is gay too. And now, you guys want to carryon and have breakfast, like nothing has happened? Someone here owes me an explanation"

"Well, you see…" was all cousin Earl could say before being interrupted by Phylicia.

"Umm Earl, I better explain this to my kids" Phyilicia said as she guide her kids out to the back porch and began to tell them the truth about her two mothers.

"Well alright, let's eat" said cousin Earl as he rubbed his hands together. "A brotha hungry"

As the family sat down to eat breakfast Melinda leaned to her left and grabbed her mother's hand and begin to caress it. "Mom… Liv and I have to get back to work. We have a one o'clock flight back to New York"

"But, I thought you were going to stay another day"

"I think we've overstayed our welcome. Besides, we've already purchased the tickets"

Jaunita became upset and as tears formed in her eyes, she got up from the table and walked out to the front porch. Melinda went after her mother and found her sitting on a bench and sat down next to her.

"I'll be back"

"No you won't" Jaunita said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "After what happened here, you'll never coming back home"

"Mom, I love my family. Louisiana will always be my home"

"But… you're not coming back, are you?"

Melinda sighed. "Yes, I will come back…someday. It's just…."

"Do you hate me, pumpkin?"

"No. Mom, I love you very, very much. It's you, who have been by my side through this whole ordeal. You're my mother, I could never hate you"

"Then, why do I feel like this is our last goodbye? Will I ever see you again?"

"Mom, you're welcome to come to New York anytime you want. My house will always be opened to you. I will even pay for plane ticket. I love you; I will always be your little girl"

What Melinda said, put a smile on Jaunita's face. But something came over Jaunita, and when she gave Melinda a hug. She didn't want to let go. "I love you too pumpkin and I want you to know, I'm very proud of you. Don't ever forget it"

"I won't"

"Is everything alright?" Olivia asked, as she walked out on the front porch.

"You take care of my daughter, you hear me. Take real good care of her" Jaunita said, with tears streaming down her face. Jaunita had rushed back into the house so fast; Olivia didn't get a chance to respond.

"Is she going to be okay"

"Yeah, she'll be fine" Melinda said and then gave Olivia a passionate kiss. "C'mon, let's say goodbye to everyone".

An hour and a half later, they were at the airport waiting on their flight to New York. "I wish your dad would have come down and said, goodbye"

"He's stuck in his ways, Liv"

"Yeah but…."

"Let's not dwell on the past. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with the woman I love" Melinda said as she gave Olivia a kiss.

Around 7:30pm their flight landed in New York and Serena was there to pick them up. "How's my baby?"

"I'm good mom"

"Not you… I was talking to Mel" Serena said.

"Oh, I forgot" Olivia sarcastically said.

"I'm okay, mom" Melinda replied as Serena gave her a hug.

"I heard you had a rough time in Louisiana?"

"Yeah, but I'm better now" Melinda said.

Serena drove them back to the apartment and the two ladies were glad to finally be home. After a day of rest they both went back to work and after three weeks had past, everything was starting to fall back into place. Elliot finally introduced Olivia to his wife and kids. Kathy wasn't pleased Elliot had another female partner, especially after what happened between him and Jo Marlowe. After Olivia reassured her, she was a lesbian and there was no way in hell Elliot would ever get into her pants, Kathy began to lighten up.

Six months had passed by and it was the day of their commitment ceremony in the park. Fin had agreed to walk Melinda down the aisles since her family wasn't going to be able to make it to the ceremony. Serena walked Olivia down the aisles first and as Fin was about to walk Melinda down, Jaunita appeared out of nowhere, along with Phyilicia, Deborah, CJ, Ruby and her two grandmothers. Melinda was overwhelmed with joy and mascara ran down her face as she cried. Jaunita interlocked her left arm with Melinda's right arm and escorted her daughter down the aisles. The commitment ceremony was fabulous and the two brides couldn't have asked for anything as beautiful as that day. But as the night went on, Melinda didn't seem happy as people danced and partied. In fact, she was alone, out on the balcony taking in the fresh air.

"There you are, I've been looking for you" Olivia said, as she hand Melinda a glass of champagne.

"I'm right here" Melinda said, giving fake smile.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Melinda then took a drink.

"So, why are you out here instead of in there, with family and friends?"

"Just wanted some fresh air"

"Oh" replied Olivia. "So, you being out here have nothing to do with your father not showing for the ceremony?"

"Liv, this is the happiest day of my life and I wish he was here to share it with me"

"I know baby"

Melinda sighed. "I knew he wasn't going to come, so why am I so upset?"

"He's your father, Mel. As a little girl, we all imagine being walked down the aisle by our father"

"Yeah but…"

"But, nothing" Olivia said and then sighed. "Mrs. Benson, let's go inside and enjoy our family and friends who are here"

"I love it when you call me that"

"What?" Olivia asked.

"Mrs. Benson" Melinda said, and then kissed her wife.

** xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

A year had passed and everything was going great for the Bensons. Melinda was eight months pregnant by artificial insemination and Olivia was on cloud nine. While at a BBQ at Elliot Stabler's house, Melinda complained of headaches and pain. As they were about to leave the BBQ, Melinda's felt something wet running down her leg.

"Liv, my water broke" she said, nervously.

"No…it's too early" Olivia said hysterically. She got Melinda into the car and raced off to the hospital.

"LIV, PULL OVER" Melinda yelled. "I DON'T THINK THIS BABY IS GOING TO WAIT UNTIL WE GET TO THE HOSPITAL"

"Hold on, Mel. We're almost there"

"LIV, PULL OVER…NOW!"

Olivia pulled the car over into a shopping center. She dialed 9-1-1 for assistance and gives them, their location. "Liv, help me to the back seat"

"Why?"

"This baby is coming and I need to be able to lie down"

"But, I don't want the baby to come now"

"You better get ready to deliver your daughter because she isn't WAITING" Melinda said as she felt another contraction.

As Melinda lay in the back seat of the car, Olivia helped her breathe and was amazed how she remembered everything from Lamaze. Melinda screamed and yelled as she pushed. "Oh my God…Oh my God, I see the head…push baby, push" an ecstatic Olivia said.

Olivia continued to coach Melinda and a few minutes later, as the ambulance arrived their baby girl came into the world. "Oh my God, you did it baby, you did it" Olivia said with tears in her eyes.

Two EMTs rushed to the car and assisted them. "Do you want to cut the umbilical cord, ma'am?"

"Sure" Olivia said to one of the EMTs.

"So, what's her name?"

"We thought we had another month to come up with a name" Olivia said to the EMT. "Mel, what are we going to name her?"

They were so concerned about the baby, they had forgotten about Melinda.

"Mel…Mel…Mel, answer me" Olivia said, as she shook Melinda.

One of the EMTs ran to the other side of the car and opened the door. He placed his hand on her neck, "She has a faint pulse, let's get her to Mercy General quick".


	11. Chapter 11

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter-CH11"**

On the ride to Mercy General, Olivia cradled her newborn daughter as she watched the EMTs work on Melinda. "I don't have a pulse" one of the men said.

"C'mon Melinda, c'mon" said a worried Olivia. "C'mon baby, please" The ride was less than two minutes but it felt like an hour to Olivia.

Nurses met the ambulance at the Emergency Room entrance and rushed Melinda inside. One nurse took Olivia and the baby inside and she watched as they pulled the curtains back. "I, I need to get to Melinda" she told the nurse.

"We need to check the baby out…make sure she's okay"

"The baby is okay but Mel isn't" Olivia said as she walked over and pulled the curtain back. Olivia watched franticly as they continued to work on Melinda. "I got a pulse" the doctor yelled and Olivia felt relieved when she heard the machine beep. "Ma'am, you can't be here". A nurse came over and escorted Olivia to the elevator. They needed to take the baby to the second floor, Labor and Delivery. "She's going to be fine" the nurse said.

"What?"

"Your friend…she's going to be fine…don't worry…we have the best doctors in the city" as the elevator opened they stepped out and walked down the hall into the double doors. Olivia watched closely as they attended to the baby. "What's her name?"

"I…we didn't come up with a name yet" Naming the baby was the least thing on Olivia's mind. She gave the nurse Melinda's information and they placed a band that said, Baby Benson, around the baby's left arm.

Forty-five minutes later, Olivia went back to the emergency room to check on her wife, only to be told they had moved Melinda to the Intensive Care Unit. "ICU…what happened? You told me she was going to be okay"

"Ma'am, your friend had a placental abruption" the doctor said.

"A what?"

"A placental abruption" he repeated to Olivia and then guided her to the chair. He knelt down and asked, "Your friend…"

"Melinda…her name is Melinda"

"Sorry!" he said and then cleared his throat.

"Do you know if Melinda experienced any vaginal bleeding or spotting lately?"

"No"

"What about cramps? Abdominal pain or back pain?"

"No"

"Were there any false labors? Do you know if she was feeling weak, disoriented or faint lately?"

"No, no, no and no" a frustrated Olivia said. "Doc, give it to me straight. Is she going to be okay?"

"I'm sorry, I can't answer that" he then sighed. "She's in a coma"

"A COMA!" Olivia felt her whole world shatter.

"She could be in the coma for a day or two, or maybe a week or a month… I don't know. We've done all we can do. I really sorry"

As the doctor walked away, Olivia sat there in shock, not wanting to believe that Melinda could possibly die. She got up and went up to the Intensive Care Unit on the third floor. When she walked in and saw the love of her life hooked up to a ventilator, tears trailed down her face as she fell to her knees. Olivia was so distraught, a nurse had to come over and assist her from the floor. "I, I, I've got to call her mother. They need to know…they should know what's happened to her" she said as the nurse assisted her to the chair next to the bed where Melinda was lying.

"I can call her parents if you'd like" the nurse knew Olivia was too emotional to call.

"No…I, I should do it" Olivia said, as she got up and went into the hall to make the call to Louisiana.

Melinda's parents were on the first plane out of Baton Rouge to New York. Around 5am the next morning they entered the hospital room and saw Olivia sleeping in the chair next to Melinda.

"Liv" Juanita softly said, as she touched Olivia's shoulder awaking her. Olivia opened her puffy eyes and greeted Juanita with a hug. She and Juanita held on to one another for about a minute. Tears again started to trail down Olivia's face.

"She's going to be okay" Juanita tried to reassure Olivia as she caressed Olivia's back. "The good Lord is watching over her. She's going to be just fine"

As the two women broke their hug, Olivia saw Carlton standing behind Juanita. "Oh, hello…How are you Mr. Jarreau?"

Carlton didn't say a word to Olivia. Instead he walked over to his daughter and held her hand. "My baby" he said, "Daddy's here, and I'm not leaving"

"Olivia, did they say, what caused her to go into a coma?" Juanita asked.

"The doctor said something about, placental abruption" Olivia replied.

"You caused this"

"Excuse me" Olivia said.

"You heard me" Carlton said as he stood up. "You're the cause of my daughter laying here. God is punishing her for all the filth you two are doing. I told Melinda, her life with you would lead to no good. You've done nothing but cause my daughter a lot of heartache, pain and shame"

"Carlton" Juanita said and was interrupted by the nurse bringing in the baby.

"Here she is" the nurse said, as she rolled the baby in next to Olivia.

"Thanks" Olivia said to the nurse.

Juanita and Carlton went over and laid eyes on their granddaughter for the first time. Olivia picked the baby up and hand her to Juanita. A big smile crossed both Juanita and Carlton faces. For a minute everything was civilized.

"She's beautiful" Juanita said.

"Looks just like her mother" Carlton added. Juanita hand the baby over to Carlton, who walked around the room rocking the baby back and forth in his arms. "I'm going to make sure you're well taken care of" he said to baby.

"What did you name her?" Juanita asked.

"We were stuck between Savannah and Caroline" Olivia said.

"What name do you like?

"I like Savannah" Olivia replied.

"I like Caroline" Carlton said which caused Olivia to roll her eyes.

"We couldn't decide so, we decided to let her come into the world first and then name her"

"Caroline is better" Carlton said. "Besides, the name Caroline sounds more feminine than Savannah" he said as he laid the baby back down.

"Ahh, I think we'll decide what her name is going to be" Olivia told him.

"No you won't" Carlton said. "As a matter of a fact, I want you out of here. You will have nothing to do with my granddaughter. Now leave!"

"Make me" Olivia told him.

Carlton walked out the room and five minutes later he returned with a doctor. "I want this woman to be banned from entering this room" he said pointing at Olivia.

"What?" said a shocked Juanita. "Carlton, what are you doing?"

"My daughter is a single woman and she has no right to be here or be anywhere near my granddaughter" he told the doctor.

"I have every right to be here" Olivia told the doctor. "She's my wife"

"Wife…huh" Carlton said. "Show us the marriage license"

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but, I'm going to have to ask you to leave" the doctor said.

"No…no, I won't leave. I'm not leaving my wife or my daughter"

"Ma'am, I sorry but…."

"Sir, we have been together for over five years now. I know gay marriage isn't legal but we had a commitment ceremony last year…in the park" Olivia tried pleading with the doctor.

"She's right" Juanita added. "She has every right to be here and I want her to stay"

The doctor then turned to Juanita. "I'm sorry, but if you and the father can't agree on this, she will still have to leave"

"Carlton, don't do this" Juanita pleaded.

"I want her gone" Carlton told the doctor.

As the doctor escorted Olivia out the room the baby began to cry and tears streamed down Olivia's face.

Juanita eyes filled with tears. She walked over to Carlton, "This has to be the lowest. I've stood by for two years and watched you humiliate our daughter. Melinda use to be this strong, free willed young woman but you broke her spirit. I stood by, and watched it and said nothing because I was your wife. My baby is lying here fighting for her life and you're acting as if she's already dead"

"Juanita…honey" Carlton started.

"Don't try to make me see things your way. It's not going to work this time, Carlton. Olivia have every right to be here, not you.

"What?"

"You heard me" Juanita said. "You wanted nothing to do with Melinda when you found out she was a lesbian. For two years, you've disowned her and now you want little Savannah in your life. Why? Are you hoping Melinda die so you can take Savannah from Olivia?"

"Don't say that"

"Say what? That you hope Melinda dies?"

"No... Don't call our granddaughter, Savannah"

"Oh my God, you are a monster. I can't stand to see your face right now" Juanita turns and leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Someplace you're not welcomed"

"And where is that?"

"Over to Olivia's apartment, you moron" Juanita said as she left the room.

Carlton called the nurses' station and asked the nurse to come get the baby. After the nurse left the room with the baby, Carlton sat down in the chair next to Melinda. He took ahold of his daughter's hand, "I told you, God wasn't pleased with you living the way you were. I don't know if you're ever going to wake up. But if you don't, I want you to know, I love you and I will see to it Olivia never sees that baby again".


	12. Chapter 12

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter-CH12"**

Juanita stood in front of Olivia's apartment for a minutes, thinking about what she was going to say. She finally rang the doorbell. "Oh Alan" a surprised Juanita said, "I didn't expect to see you here"

"It's nice to see you too Mrs. Jarreau" he said and greeted her with a kiss. "Liv called and told me what happened…so I rushed right over"

"Is it okay, if I come in?"

"I'm sorry, come right in"

Juanita walked in and looked around the apartment. "Where's Olivia?"

"In the bedroom, lying down"

"Oh, well…I'll let her sleep. Tell her I stopped by"

"She's not asleep, she's just lying in bed" he told her.

Juanita went to the bedroom door and knocked softly. Olivia didn't answer, so Juanita gently pushed the door open. Olivia had the curtains pulled together and the room was dark.

"Olivia" Juanita softly called her name and walked slowly towards her and then sat down on the side of the bed. "Olivia…honey are you okay?" she asked as she used her hand to brush Olivia's hair from her face.

"No, I'm not okay" Olivia said as she sat up. "My wife is in a coma, my baby girl is alone in the hospital and your husband is keeping me from seeing them"

"I'm so sorry, Olivia. Carlton has no right to do what he's doing"

"You damn right" she said, as she got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Two minutes later she returned, "I'm sorry" Olivia apologized to Juanita and then sighed. She then sat down on the bed next to Juanita, "I shouldn't have coursed…I'm just so angry right now"

"You have every right to be angry" Juanita placed her arm around Olivia's shoulders. "I'm going to do everything I can to ensure you're able to visit Melinda and little Savannah"

Olivia smiled. "Savannah, huh"

"If you like the name Savannah, then, that is what we'll name her. It's just one thing…."

"What?"

"Did y'all come up with a middle name?"

"Renee" Olivia replied. "We agreed on the middle name. It was the first name we had problems with"

"Okay, well then…Savannah Renee Benson sounds good to me".

Alan stood at the door listening for a while. He then told Olivia he had to go on an errand and would be back shortly. But, Alan had no intentions on running errands. He wanted to go to the hospital and tell Carlton, what a piece of shit he was but he decided to go to the precinct instead.

Juanita told Olivia she would be there for her every step of the way. Olivia didn't want to come between her and Carlton. Juanita reassured Olivia, she's there for her. She then got up and went to the kitchen and began to cook dinner while Olivia laid in bed.

Around ten o'clock the next morning Juanita and Olivia were headed out the door to the hospital. As they took the elevator up to the ICU, Juanita could tell Olivia was nervous. She took her hand and interlock with Olivia's. "It's going to be okay. You will see pumpkin and Savannah. You have nothing to worry about"

"But, what if Mr. Jarreau….."

"I've already prayed about it" Juanita said cutting her off. The elevator opened and has they reached Melinda's room, they could see Carlton sitting at Melinda's bedside.

"What is she doing here?" he asked.

"She's here with me"

"Juanita…honey, what are you doing?"

"Carlton, she has every right to be here. Now, I don't want to hear another word"

Olivia walked over and held Melinda's hand as Juanita buzzed the nurses' station and asked if they'd bring the baby up from the Labor and Delivery floor. About twenty minutes later a nurse entered the room with the baby.

"Have you all come up with a name yet?" the nurse asked.

"Yes" Juanita replied. "Olivia is going to name her, Savannah…Savannah Renee Benson"

""Over my dead body" Carlton said. "I want her gone"

The nurse called for Melinda's doctor, who quickly came to the room. The doctor ordered everyone out of the room into the hallway. "Ms. Benson, I told you, you weren't allowed in Melinda's room" he said.

"She has every right to be here" said Juanita.

"As I said yesterday, if you and Mr. Jarreau can not come to some kind of an agreement Ms. Benson will have to stay away and she can not see the baby either"

"Why not?" said a voice coming from down the hall. Everyone turned around and saw Alan and Fin walking towards them. "What if I want her to stay?"

"And who are you?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah" Carlton said, "Who exactly are you?"

"I'm Odafin Tutuola…the baby's father". Fin's admission shocked Carlton and Juanita, but Olivia didn't seem surprised at all.

"Oh, please…really" Carlton said sarcastically. "My daughter is a homosexual, you are not the father of her baby"

"Sir, I am the baby's father. Isn't that right, Liv?"

"Well, yes…yes, he's Savannah's father" Olivia said.

"Her name isn't Savannah and if you're the baby's father, prove it" Carlton said.

"He already did" said Alan, waving the results from the DNA testing in the air. "When, I left your place yesterday I went to the precinct and told Fin about Melinda and the baby and what Mr. Jarreau had done"

"You see, when you mess with Liv, you mess with me" Fin told Carlton.

The fact is, Olivia and Melinda couldn't agree on a donor and when Fin offered, they accepted. Fin is like a big brother to them and he'll do whatever it takes to ensure their happiness.

Alan hand the test results to the doctor. "He's 99.9 percent the father of the baby" the doctor told Melinda's parents.

"Let me see that" Carlton said as he snatched the results out of doctor's hand. "I guess you are the father"

The doctor began to explain. "Melinda isn't legally married therefore, her parents have all rights concerning her well-being. Mr. Tutuola, is the father of Melinda's baby and he has rights too. Due to the fact Melinda is in a coma, Mr. Tutuola have all rights concerning his daughter. I suggest you all put your differences aside for the sake of Melinda and the baby"

What the doctor said really ticked Carlton off. "So, what are you saying?" Carlton asked.

"What he's saying is, I could do the same thing to you, that you're doing to Liv" Fin said. "You know, like…keep you away from Savannah"

Alan had a smirk on his face. "Karma is something else, isn't it?" he added.

"Fin don't" Olivia said. "We can't fight fire with fire. Savannah is his granddaughter and he should be allowed to see her"

Fin called Olivia to the side and began to whisper. "Liv, are you sure about this?"

"Yeah"

"Alan told me what that rat bastard did to you and I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine"

"No Fin. Mel, wouldn't want us to act like this"

Fin sighed. "Okay, okay…I'm only doing this because of you"

"Thanks. By the way, thank you for coming here today and helping out"

"Babygirl, I would do anything for you, you know that"

"So, what's it going to be?" the doctor asked.

"If Mr. Jarreau agrees to let Liv see Melinda, I won't keep him from seeing Savannah" Fin told the doctor.

As much as Carlton hated the fact of letting Olivia see Melinda, he loved his granddaughter. So, he reluctantly agreed.

The baby started crying and they all went back into the room. The doctor and nurse gave the family the privacy they needed. Carlton couldn't take watching Olivia with the baby so he left and went to the hotel. Olivia asked Juanita to go after Carlton. She knows Juanita loves her husband and she didn't want to come between them.

Fin walked over to the chair where Olivia was sitting with the baby. "She's beautiful" he said.

"You want to hold her?"

"I don't know" he said. "She's so tiny"

"She came a month early and still weighed over seven pounds. She has your eyes, you know" Olivia told him.

Olivia stood up and placed the baby in Fin's arms. "You know, you don't have to worry about me. I mean, I would never try to get parental rights. She's your kid…yours and Mel's"

"I know" Olivia replied. "But, I do have one thing to ask you"

"What is it?"

"Melinda and I, would like for you to be her godfather?"

Tears came to Fin's eyes. "I'd be honored" he said.

Fifteen minutes later, Fin and Alan left. Olivia called the nurse to take the baby back to Labor and Delivery.

It's been two weeks now since Melinda gave birth and went into a coma. Melinda was taken off the ventilator because she was able to successfully breathe on her own now. The baby is now home with Olivia and Juanita. Carlton took a flight back to Louisiana and promised he'd return in two weeks. Juanita is watching the baby, while Olivia is at work. Around 6pm Olivia left the precinct and went home to get Savannah. She and the baby went to visit Melinda.

"Baby it's been about two week now and you still haven't woke up yet. I need you…Savannah needs you. We need you to wake up". Melinda showed no sign of coming out of the coma and Olivia was beginning to realize she may never wake up.

Olivia laid Savannah on Melinda's chest and a few seconds later the baby began to cry. When Olivia went to pick Savannah up, she noticed movement in Melinda's fingers. Although Melinda's eyes were closed Olivia could she Melinda's eyes moving. She picked up the baby and called the nurses' station for a doctor.

The doctor quickly came down to the room and examined Melinda. "Yes, yes…it seems she's coming out of the coma" he said to Olivia.

Olivia was delighted. "So, she's going to wake up right?"

"Well, the movement of the eyes and wiggling of the fingers indicates she will but I don't know exactly when. It could take an hour or two…or a day or two"

"Or maybe now…Her eyes are open…she opened her eyes" said a tearful Olivia.


	13. Chapter 13

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter-CH13"**

"Melinda, can you hear me?" the doctor asked as he re-examined her, shining a light in her eye. "If you can hear me, wiggle your fingers"

An anxious Olivia looked on as Melinda began moving her fingers. "She's okay, right?" Olivia asked the doctor. Melinda could hear Olivia and the doctor but her vision was blurred.

"It looks like she's going to be just fine" he went to the end of the bed and lift the blanket that covered Melinda. The doctor ran the pen across the bottom of Melinda's feet and she wiggled her toes. "This is good, good news"

As Melinda's eyes began to focus, she saw Olivia standing next to the doctor cradling a baby. She looked down at her stomach and back up at Olivia, she began breathing heavy as tears trail down the side of her face.

"She's crying… she's upset about something" Olivia told the doctor.

"_My baby, that's my baby"_ Melinda thought to herself.

"Mel, honey…what's wrong? Baby, if you can hear me, say something"

"Let's not overwhelm her, she needs her rest. Can I speak with you outside?" Olivia followed the doctor out the room. "Right now, we know she's responding to commands and she has feeling in her fingers and toes, which is good"

"Okay" Olivia said curiously. "So, why isn't she talking?"

"Give her time, she'll come around. She needs her rest right now" the doctor said and then gave Olivia a friendly smile before walking away.

Olivia went back into the room to find Melinda sleeping. She called Juanita, who immediately caught a cab and made her way to the hospital.

As Juanita entered Melinda's room, she saw her daughter sleeping and Olivia sitting in the chair next to the bed. "How is she?" she whispered.

"She's okay"

"Did she say anything? Was she happy to see the baby?"

"She didn't say anything. She opened her eyes and responded to a few of the doctor's commands and started crying"

"Crying" Juanita repeated.

"Yeah" Olivia sighed shaking her head. "I don't know why"

The baby started moving around and began crying. "Aww, come to grandma" Juanita said as she reached for the baby. "You have quite a pair of lungs on you". Olivia reached in the baby's bag and hand the bottle to Juanita. "There you go…grandma's baby hungry" she said as she watched Savannah suck on the bottle. "She has beautiful eyes"

Olivia agreed "Yeah, she has Fin's eyes"

"Liv, you don't think he wil…."

"Fin's not like that. He even had his lawyer to draw up the papers terminating his parental rights. He just want us to be happy. Being the baby's Godfather is good enough for him. He's a really good guy"

"That's good to hear"

"Li…Liv"

Olivia turned. "Mel" she said excitedly. She went over and gently rubbed Melinda's face with the back of her hand. "You're awake and talking"

"My baby"

Juanita hand Olivia the baby. "Here she is" Olivia said as she laid the baby next to her mother.

Tears trailed down Melinda's face as she felt her daughter's heartbeat. "Mom, what are you doing here? Liv, what happened?"

"What do you remember?" Olivia asked.

"I remember we were over at Elliot and Kathy's and I complained of pain and….did I give birth in the car?"

"Yes"

"I can't remember anything else"

"Mel, after you gave birth, you collapsed and went into a coma"

"A coma"

"Yeah…pumpkin, you've been in a coma for over two weeks now" Juanita added. "When Olivia called and told us what happened, your father and I was on the first plane to New York"

"Dad's here too"

"He did come but he left two days ago. He had to get back to the church"

"The baby" Melinda said looking at Olivia. "Is she okay? Did you name her?"

"Yes and yes" Olivia replied. "Her name is, Savannah Renee Benson"

"Savannah!"

"Mel, don't be mad. I know you wanted to name her….."

"I'm not mad…I love the name. She's so beautiful" Melinda said looking down at her daughter. "How much did she weigh? Does she cry a lot? I have so many questions"

"She cries because she misses her mommy" Juanita said with a smile. "You gave us quite a scare"

"What happened? Why did I go into a coma?"

A nurse entered the room. "You're awake…great! I'll get the doctor"

The doctor came in and examined Melinda. Olivia and Juanita listened as he explained to Melinda what caused her to go into a coma. Which he tried to make some medical sense of it but really couldn't. "When can I go home?"

"Not for a few more days" he replied. "We have to run more tests, to make sure everything is okay with you first"

"You said, a few days…how many?"

The doctor shrugged his shoulders. "Four or five…I'm not sure. We have to make sure you're medically cleared" The nurse took her blood while the doctor looked on. "Well, we're going to leave you with your family. I will be back later to check on you"

As soon as the doctor left the room, Melinda asked Olivia to hand her the baby. She felt like she'd missed so much of her baby's life being in a coma for two weeks. Juanita left the room to call Carlton, to give him the good news. Carlton had planned on returning in a few weeks but, he decided to head back to New York in a week.

"Did my dad see her?"

"Yes! He said, she looks just like you" Olivia said.

"I can't believe my dad came to New York. Do you think he's got a change of heart...I mean, after seeing the baby?"

Olivia sighed. "Mel, there's something you need to know"

"What is it?" she asked, all along her eyes glued on her baby girl.

"It's about your dad and what happened while you were in a coma"

"Liv, if it's going to upset me, I rather you not tell me. I just want to enjoy this moment with you and our daughter"

Olivia understood. She rather enjoy her wife and baby girl than talk about Carlton as well.

A week had passed and Melinda was finally at home. Everyone was making a fuss over her. The guys at the precinct would stop by throughout the day to check on her. Melinda didn't like all the attention she was getting. She's got nine more weeks with her baby before she's to go back to work and she wants to spend every waking minute with her daughter. Juanita was a big help, showing Melinda the ABCs of motherhood. Melinda liked her mother being around, especially with Olivia at work.

"Lunch time"

"Hmm, smells good. What are we having?"

"Jambalaya" Juanita said as she fixed Melinda a bowl. "Here you go, baby" she then hand Melinda a glass of milk.

"Jambalaya and milk, mom"

"Sure, why not? You're breast feeding right?"

"Yeah but…."

"But nothing…the milk is good for the baby" Juanita said as she sat down at the table next to Melinda.

Juanita watched as Melinda ate. "You're not eating?"

"No, I'm not hungry right now, maybe later" Juanita sighed, which got Melinda's attention.

"What is it mom?"

Juanita placed her hand on top of Melinda's. "Sweetheart, I can't stay much longer. Your father will be here tomorrow and I'm leaving with him on Sunday"

Melinda wanted her mother to stay longer but she understood. "Mom, I really enjoyed having you here. In a way, it felt like…I was a kid again. You know, having you take care of him"

"Now, you have your own baby to love and take care of" Juanita said to her daughter who eyes were filled with water. "Don't cry pumpkin, I'll be back"

"When?"

"I don't know…maybe for Savannah's first birthday"

They heard Savannah's cry coming from the room. "I'll get her, finish your food"

Ten minutes later Melinda went into the bedroom. She saw her mother in the rocking chair with Savannah. "She looks just like you but has her Fin's eyes"

"Fin!"

"Yes, Fin!" Juanita said. "She has his eyes"

Melinda stood there in shock wondering how her mother found out Fin was the donor. She finally gathered her thoughts and began to speak. "How did…what did…who told you Fin was the donor?"

"Fin told us" Juanita replied unaware Olivia never told Melinda what happened with Carlton. "I'm glad you chose him, he's really a sweet guy too" Juanita put the baby back in the crib. "If he hadn't come to the rescue Carlton would have gotten his way"

"Mom, wait…I have no clue what you're talking about?"

"You know, when Carlton had Olivia removed from your hospital room and she couldn't see Savann…." From the confused look on Melinda's face, Juanita realized Olivia never told Melinda what happened. "Oh, it's nothing. I was, umm, I was just rambling"

"Mom, what happened while I was in a coma? What did dad do to Olivia?"

"Pumpkin, let's go into the living room. The baby is trying to sleep". _"I should have kept my mouth shut"_ Juanita thought to herself.

Melinda sat on the couch next to her mother. "Mom"

"I thought Olivia had told you what happened"

"No, she didn't. What did dad do?"

Melinda sat there in pure shock as Juanita went into detail about what transpired between Carlton and Olivia. Melinda had taken her father's shit over the years but she wasn't about to let him get away with this. "He's gone too far this time, mom. When he comes tomorrow you better not bring him here"

"He's going to want to see the baby"

"I'm afraid of what I might do if I see him" Melinda got up and started pacing the floor. This was something she did when she became upset. "He's got some nerve keeping Olivia away from me and the baby"

"Calm down pumpkin"

"Why didn't Liv tell me?"

"I don't know, I thought she did" Juanita replied.

"No, she didn't"

"Calm down baby. I'll go get you a glass of milk"

"MOM, I DON'T WANT MILK RIGHT NOW. I'VE HAD ENOUGH FOR THE DAY" Melinda yelled at her mother.

Juanita had never seen her daughter this angry, not even at the family reunion two years ago. "I'm sorry, pumpkin"

Melinda sighed. "No mom, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. It's just… I'm so…so, angry right now"

Just as Melinda was about the sit down next to her mother, the doorbell rang. Melinda got up and opened the door without looking through the peep hole.

"Dad"

"Hello Melinda"

Melinda quickly slammed the door shut in her father's face.

"Who was that?" Juanita asked.

"Your husband" Melinda replied.


	14. Chapter 14

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter-CH14"**

Olivia was at the precinct showing Fin and Elliot pictures of Savannah she had recently taken. "I've never seen Liv this happy before" Elliot said.

"Yeah, she's on cloud nine and I'm happy for her" Fin replied.

"So Liv, is she keeping you up late?" Elliot asked.

"No, not really… Mel's mom a big help" Olivia said, as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "She's got Savannah on a sleep cycle"

"Wish Kathy and I had help like that when we had Maureen. She kept us up all night long"

"You mean the baby kept Kathy up all night, you probably spent most of your nights at the precinct" Fin said. "That's what I did, when I couldn't get any sleep with Ken"

The two detectives laughed. "Well, I'm not like you guys, I want to spend as much time as I can with my daughter" Olivia said, as she walked back to her desk and just as she was about to sit down her cell phone rang. A smile came cross her face when she saw the name from the caller ID. "Hey babe, what's up?"

"Liv, I need you now…Can you come home?"

"Mel, what's wrong?"

"Just come home"

"I'll be right there" Olivia ended the call. "Guys, I have to run home…can you cover for me?"

"Is everything okay?" Fin asked.

"I don't know...she sound upset" Olivia grabbed her jacket and ran out the precinct.

Meanwhile back at the apartment….

"DON'T" Melinda yelled as her mother reached for the door knob. "Don't open it, I don't want to see his face"

"He's your father…You can't let him just stay out there"

"You're right mom" Melinda said as she walked over and grabbed the door knob. "I have something to say to him and I might as well get it off my chest" she said and then opened the door.

"Is that how you're supposed to greet your father?" Carlton said standing there with his chest out and looking as confident as ever.

"Umm, come in Carlton" Juanita said, as she moved Melinda to the side. "We weren't expecting you until tomorrow"

"Well, I took an early flight out" he said, looking around the apartment. "Where's my grandchild?"

"Aren't you glad to see your daughter? I mean, I was only in a coma for…oh…maybe two weeks" Melinda said sarcastically.

"Juanita had called and gave me the news. I'm glad to see you up and around"

"Really!"

"Yes, I am" Carlton replied.

Melinda walked towards her father. "Dad, you're a phony" she said, which caused her mother and father eyes to widen. "You stand there and act like you're so perfect but you're not. All you do is hide behind the Bible and interpret it in a way that best suits you"

"I'm your father, don't you stand …."

She interrupted her father. "I heard what you did to Olivia…not letting her see me and trying to take Savannah away from her. You ought to be ashamed of yourself"

"Pumpkin, sweetheart…"

Melinda interrupted her father again. "Don't pumpkin, sweetheart me... There's nothing you can say that will make me forgive you. What if I had died dad…huh? You would have taken the one thing from her that she had left of me. When you heard I was in a coma, you didn't come here for me…did you? You came to take the baby away from Olivia, my wife"

"Wife, huh" Carlton said sarcastically.

"Whether you like it or not, Olivia is my wife and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her and our daughter." Melinda walked over to the door and opened it, unaware Olivia is standing in the door way. "Now, I want you out of my house and out of our lives for good…now, get the hell out"

"I'll be at the Sheraton, on 125th and Parkway" he said to Juanita. Carlton walked toward the door, "You're going to regret this"

"The only thing I regret is thinking you were going to change. You're still the same ole fool you were years ago and I'm glad I left home. When you walk out of this door, just know you're walking out of my life for good. Now, get out" Melinda said pointing. Carlton sighed and walked out, brushing past Olivia.

Melinda walked over to the couch shaking and breathing hard as tears filled her eyes. Olivia looked over at Juanita and then back at Melinda. She went over and comforted her wife. "I'll check on little Savannah" Juanita said.

Melinda turned and buried her head in Olivia's shoulder. Olivia sat there and comforted her wife as Melinda cried in her arms. As Melinda sat up straight, Olivia took her thumb and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Mel, what happened?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what, sweetheart?"

"All the pain he caused you while I was in the hospital. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you but I thought maybe things were better left unsaid"

"Liv, you should have told me. I had to hear it from mom, who thought you had already told me"

"I'm sorry baby, I just didn't want to upset you" she said as Melinda sighed. "Did you really mean what you said to your dad?"

"I meant every word. One thing I've learned from being in that coma is that…life is too short to waste your time and energy on stupid people. If he can't love me for who I am and accept you as my wife then I don't want him in our lives or Savannah's"

Juanita walked out the room with Savannah in her arms. "She's hungry, mama" she said as she hand the baby to Olivia. Melinda got up and went into the kitchen. Juanita sighed "Interesting day, you think" she said trying to make small talk with Olivia.

"Yeah" Olivia replied.

"I don't know if pumpkin told you but I'm leaving tomorrow"

"Mom, you don't have to leave"

"Thanks Olivia, but it's time for me to go. I've stayed long enough" Juanita got up and went into the bedroom to pack her bags. After 30 minutes she returned and placed her bags by the door. "Well, I guess this is it, huh?"

Olivia got up from the couch and grabbed her car keys. "I'll take you"

"No, no…I called a cab, it's waiting downstairs"

"Mom, why not stay here tonight and meet dad at the airport tomorrow?" Melinda asked.

"No pumpkin, I need to be with your father. I know, he's hurting right now" Juanita gave Melinda a hug and kiss on the cheek. She went over to Savannah and gave the baby a kiss on the forehead "Grandma will see you soon" she said. Olivia gave Juanita a hug and kiss on the cheek and then walked her downstairs to the cab.

Around 1am Melinda and Olivia were awaken to the ringing of their doorbell. "Okay, okay, I'm coming" Olivia said. She looked through the peep hole and was surprised to see the person standing on the other side of the door. Olivia opened the door and whispered, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my daughter" Carlton said with tears in his eyes. Olivia could tell he had been crying.

"She doesn't want to see you" she whispered back.

"Please Olivia, I need to see my daughter"

Olivia knew something was wrong _"he's being civil and saying please"_ she thought to herself. Olivia sighed, "I'm sorry, but I can't. I don't want you to upset her"

Carlton reached in his jacket and pulled out an envelope. "Could you at least give her this?"

"Sure" Olivia said, as she reached for the envelope.

Carlton left and Olivia went back to bed. "Who was that?" Melinda asked.

"I'll tell you in the morning" Olivia said. She placed the envelope in the nightstand drawer by the bed. Olivia placed her arms around her wife and couldn't help but wonder why did Carlton come over so late? Why was he crying? What was in the letter?


	15. Chapter 15

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter-CH15"**

The next morning Olivia awoke to the smell of bacon coming from the kitchen. She quickly went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, wiped her face off and slipped on her slippers. She got into the hall and remembered the letter Carlton gave her. Olivia went back into the bedroom and retrieved the letter. "It sure smells good in here" she said, as she gave Melinda a kiss on the cheek and then kissed Savannah on the forehead.

"Did she wake you?"

"No, the bacon did" she hand the envelope to Melinda.

"What is it?"

"Mel, that was your dad late last night. He stopped by…he wanted to talk to you but I didn't want him to upset you, so I didn't let him in"

"I'm glad you didn't" Melinda said as she sniffed Savannah's diaper. "She's all yours" she said as she hand Savannah over to Olivia, "She needs changing"

Olivia took Savannah into the bedroom to change her and as soon as she got her all cleaned up and poured baby powder on her, Savannah peed on the diaper before Olivia got the chance to fasten it together. She had to clean Savannah again and put a new diaper on her. "What did it say?" she asked as she walked into the living room.

"What?"

"The letter…what did it say?"

"I don't know…I didn't read it"

"Why not?"

"Why should I? Liv, what he did to you is unforgivable and I don't want anything to do with my father"

Olivia sighed. "Mel, I know, it's just…he…he seemed bothered last night. Like…something was wrong. He wasn't _his usual self, _if you know what I mean" Savannah began to cry and Olivia placed the pacifier in her mouth as she rocked her.

Melinda looked down at her watch "Well, they should be in the air by now. Their flight left at 8am. Give her to me, you need to eat". Melinda placed the baby in the bassinet, while she and Olivia ate breakfast.

"I still think you should read it"

"Liv, I'm not going to read it and that's final. I don't want to talk about it anymore"

Two months had passed by and everything was going great for the Bensons. Olivia and Melinda celebrated their third anniversary together, Savannah was four months old, Melinda was back at work, and Fin was a proud godfather who took Savannah to the park often. Women found Savannah adorable and he was able to pick up more women at the park than the club.

While at work one day, Melinda's cell phone rang. She looked at the name that popped across the scene. "Hi mom" she said into the phone.

"Melinda"

"Dad"

"Hi pumpkin, I'm glad you answered the phone. Did you get my letter?"

"Yes and I'm really busy, so…"

"Did you read it?"

"No, I didn't"

"There's something I need to say to you"

"Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it" Melinda said, as she got up from her desk and closed her office door. "You've already said enough" she said, as she ended the call.

"What did she say?" Juanita asked Carlton.

"Nothing, she hung up on me" Carlton sighed. "Will she ever forgive me?" he asked Juanita, who walked over to her husband and consoled him, as he wept in her arms. "She never read the letter, Juanita…she never read it"

"Do you want me to call her and tell her?"

"No, no"

"She'd listen to me, Carlton"

"Juanita, I want to be the one to tell her. I want her to hear it from me" Carlton said.

Days had turned into weeks and weeks into months, still Melinda would not talk to her father. She continued to maintain a close relationship with her mother but as soon as Juanita would mention Carlton, Melinda would change the subject. Savannah was now seven months old, and was trying to walk. She'd crawl all around the apartment and try to pull up on things, knocking things over and breaking things. Melinda and Olivia finally decided to child proof the house because they didn't want anything to happen to their baby girl.

One day while at work Olivia's phone rang, "Benson" she said into the phone.

"Olivia"

"Yes…who's calling?" a curious Olivia said, she didn't catch the voice on the other end of the phone.

"It's Mr. Jarreau"

Olivia went silent for a few seconds. She was shocked Melinda's father called her and she wondered why. "Um, what can I help you with?"

"I know you may be wondering, while I'm calling you?"

"Well…"

Carlton interrupted Olivia. "I want to apologize. I had no right treating you the way I did. When Melinda told me she was a lesbian, I needed someone to blame. You see, I love my daughter very much and if that means coming to terms with her being a lesbian and married to a woman, then that's what I have to do. I don't want to spend another day knowing my daughter hates me"

"So, what are you saying?" Olivia asked.

"What I'm saying is, I want to be a part of my daughter's life and the people in her life. Olivia, I'm sorry if I could do it all over again, I'd handle the sitation differently. I'd like to start over with you, if you could somehow find it in your heart to forgive me. I want you to be a part of this family and I'd like to be a part of your family if you'd let me"

Olivia couldn't believe her ears. She took the receiver from her and looked at it and then placed it back to her ear. "Mr. Jarreau, are you for real? This isn't a plan you have to somehow break me and Mel up?"

"Olivia, I'm for real…I wanted to tell her that night in New York but…"

"So, that's why you came over?"

"Yes"

Olivia continued to talk with Carlton for over thirty minutes. After that phone call, she was more than convinced Carlton was sincere about reconnecting with Melinda. She decided, she would do whatever it took to reconcile Melinda with her father. She knew, Melinda still wanted a relationship with her father and she didn't want to be the reason for them going years without speaking to one another.

Around 10pm that night, Olivia finally walked into the apartment from a long days work. Melinda had already put Savannah to bed and she was in bed reading a file.

"Hey babe" Olivia said, as she kissed Melinda.

"Long day, huh"

"Yep"

Melinda placed the file on the nightstand. "I'll warm your food, while you shower"

"Okay!" Olivia replied. "I received an interesting phone call at work today. I'll tell you about it when I get out the shower" She was really tired and didn't feel like eating but wasn't about to tell Melinda that. After the shower she dried off and as she put of her pajama, she heard the breaking of glass and Melinda scream. Olivia quickly ran into the kitchen and found her wife in tears on the kitchen floor.

"Mel, what is it? What wrong, sweetheart?" a worried Olivia asked. Melinda just sat there sobbing. Olivia took the phone out of her hand and placed it on the kitchen conter. Olivia helped Melinda to her feet and to the couch in the living room. "Sweetheart, what is it? Please, tell me…who was that on the phone?"

"My…my…ma…mama" she said as she sobbed. "My dad…he…he…he's dead" she said, as she buried her face in Olivia's shoulder.

"Honey, I'm so, so sorry" Olivia said, as she comforted her wife. Olivia couldn't believe it she had just spoken with Carlton eight hours earlier on the phone. She helped her wife to the bed and Melinda cried in her arms all night.

Around 3am, Olivia woke up to use the bathroom. She found Melinda's side of the bed empty. After she came out the bathroom she went into the living room and kitchen looking for her wife. She found Melinda in Savannah's room. "Sweetheart, I can do that" Olivia said, as she walked over to Melinda. "Give her to me, I'll put her back to sleep. I want you to go back to bed" Melinda hand the baby to Olivia. She then went into the living room before going to the bedroom. Olivia came in the room as few minutes later and found her wife sitting in bed reading. "What's that you're reading?"

"It's the letter my father left for me" she then began to weep. "Why didn't I read this letter sooner, Liv? I would have known…I would have known"

Olivia walked over and sat down on the bed next to her wife. "Can I read it?" Melinda gave her the letter. "Do you mind if I read out loud?"

"No, go ahead" Melinda said shaking her head.

Olivia sighed as she looked down at the letter and began to read it.


	16. Chapter 16

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

"**The Preacher's Daughter-CH16"**

_My dearest Melinda,_

_As I sit here in this hotel room thinking about you kicking me out of your house today, it really hit me that I may never see my daughter or granddaughter again and it's not a good feeling. I really don't know what to put on this paper, so I'll just tell you what's in my heart and how I'm feeling right now. When your mother told me, we were having a girl, I was delighted. I couldn't wait until you came into the world. I would read to you every night while you were in Juanita's stomach and the first time I felt you kick, tears came to my eyes. You're my first daughter and second child, and I love you very, very much. Pumpkin, you've always been the smartest and strongest one of my kids. You went to college, graduated from medical school and became a doctor and you did all of this by yourself. If I never told you, I want you to know I'm very proud of you. I talk about you all the time to the congregation and to the people around town, wanting them to know what a successful woman my baby has become. I've always known you liked women, it wasn't hard to figure out. I knew you'd eventually tell us but not the way you did it. Your mother always say, there's a time and place for everything. The family reunion was not the time or place to tell us that you were a lesbian. Yes, I reacted horribly and never thanked you for saving my life. Instead, I did everything I could to make you feel like you were not a part of this family, and I'm very sorry for that. I want to thank you for saving my life. If it wasn't for you, I would not be alive today. I owe you a lot of gratitude that's long overdue. My actions over the past couple of years are inexcusable. I was more concerned about my image in Baton Rouge; what the congregation would think of me preaching the bible and God's words every Sunday and a daughter living a lifestyle that's against everything I preach, or how the people and city officials would view me once rumors started circulating about your lifestyle. When you came out, instead of embracing you and letting you know I still love you, I made it all about me. I needed someone to blame, so I blamed Olivia. I thought, if I could somehow get you away from Olivia, you'd realize you're not gay and that you were choosing to live this lifestyle. I realize now being gay is not a choice. Please tell Olivia, I'm very sorry for all the pain I caused her over the years. I know it's going to take some time but I'd like to be in your lives if you let me. I'm not going to push, but I will give you a few weeks and I will call you. I've put your mother through a lot in the past few years as well and I will make it up to her. She's the strongest woman I know, and in many ways, you're just like your mother. Olivia is lucky to have you and I'm sure she knows it. _

_I'm also writing because, I want you to know something, it's something I haven't told your mother yet. I went to the doctor last week and things didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Don't worry, everything will be just fine. I'm going to get treatment I need to beat this disease. I've been through worse, so this is no big deal. But, if there's a chance I get worse, promise me you'll be there for your mother. I want you to know, I changed my Last Will and Testament, to add Savannah. Do me a favor…Could you give my grandbaby a kiss for me? Tell her, her grandpa loves her very much. Well, I'm going to end this letter now but never my love. Talk to you soon._

_Love Always, Dad._

__

Olivia looked over at Melinda after reading the letter, "Mel, I'm so sorry"

"It's my fault" she said, shaking her head. "It's my entire fault"

"What is?" Olivia asked.

"My dad died thinking his daughter hated him" Melinda began to cry. "I didn't hate him, Liv. I didn't hate him, I didn't" Melinda repeated as she cried on Olivia's shoulder. "He was dying and I wasn't there for him, when he needed me the most"

"He knew you loved him"

"No he didn't. Do you know how many times I didn't answer the phone when his name popped up on the caller ID or the times I'd hang up on him when mom would put him the phone?"

"You mom didn't mention he was sick at all"

"No, she didn't. It's not her fault I didn't know, dad probably told her not to tell me. If I had read the letter, I would have known"

"When I talked to your dad today, he didn't sound like he was sick or dying"

Melinda broke the embrace. "You talked to my father today?"

"Well, yeah. He called the precinct today and we talked for about 45 minutes. He apologized to me. Told me he was sorry for everything"

"How come you didn't tell me? What else did he say?"

"I was going to tell you after I got out the shower but, when you got the news I decided it would be best to tell you in the morning. You was really upset"

"What did he say, Liv?"

"He said, he loved you very much and he wanted to be in your life again. I told him, you loved him as well and that you would be more than happy to accept him back into your life and that you missed him dearly" Olivia got up from the bed and went over to the dresser where her wife was standing. She gently placed her hands on the side of Melinda's face, "He died knowing that his pumpkin loved him". Olivia took her thumbs and wiped the tears from Melinda's face. "You need sleep" she told her wife and softly kissed her on the forehead.

When they got in bed, Olivia placed her arms around Melinda, who quickly turned towards Olivia and began passionately kissing her. "No, no" Olivia said as she broke the kiss. Melinda ignored Olivia and started kissing her again. "No, Mel" Olivia said, as she broke the kiss again.

"You don't want me?" Melinda asked.

"It…it's not that" Olivia sighed. "Your father died and you're hurting. You don't want sex, you're trying to ease the pain for now. Honey, when you wake up tomorrow, your father will still be gone"

"You're right" Melinda said, as tears began to fill her eyes again. "Hold me, Liv…please"

"I gotcha baby" Olivia said, as she held Melinda tight in her arms.

Around 7am, Olivia called Cragen and told him about Melinda's father. She requested ten days of leave and he agreed. She woke Melinda around 7:30am and told her their flight leaves at 3pm for Louisiana. Melinda still couldn't believe her father was dead. Allen heard the news about Carlton's death from his parents. He called the house and gave his condolence to Melinda. He told her, he was planned on attending the funeral service in Baton Rouge. Olivia packed their things while Melinda attended to Savannah. Around 12:30pm they took at cab to the airport.

Their plane landed in Baton Rouge around 6:30pm central time. Ruby was at the airport waiting on them. "Hey sis" Ruby said, as she hugged her sister. Melinda held onto her sister for a while, "Its okay sis, he's in a better place now" After a minute Melinda finally broke the embrace. "Hi, Olivia, it's good seeing you again"

"Wished it could have been under a better occasion" Olivia replied.

"Yeah, I know" Ruby said. "There she is…there's auntie baby" she reached for Savannah who was in Olivia's arms. The baby started crying and held out her hands to Olivia, her mommy.

"Aww, auntie sorry…I didn't mean to make you cry" Ruby gave Savannah back to Olivia and they all went to parking and got in the truck and headed to the family house where Juanita has a house full of people.


End file.
